Lincoln, Neb. – The Wichita State men's cross country team placed five runners in the top 10 to win the team title at the Greeno/Dirksen Invitational Saturday in Lincoln, Neb., while  the Shocker women battled to a fifth-place team finish.
 
Jed Helker ran a 40-second personal-best time of 24:18.00 in the men's 8,000 meters to win his first-ever collegiate individual cross country title.
 
"This race was very enjoyable from start to finish," Helker said. "It's a huge confidence boost for myself, but more than anything, I am so proud and excited for what's in store for this team."
 
The Shocker men beat out second-place Air Force by 50 points to win the team title with a score of 27 points. Helker was joined in the top ten by Clayton Duchatschek (2^nd; 24:20.20), Adam Moore (5^th; 24:27.10 PB), Shadrack Chumba (9^th; 24:42.90 PB) and Bryce Merriman (10^th; 24:47.70).
 
"I was extremely impressed with the way the men worked together to put on a strong team showing," head coach Kirk Hunter said. "This is what I've always hoped for from my teams, and it was one of the best I've seen in my career."
 
Jackson Caldwell and Trey Rios also recorded strong performances for the Wichita State men with their 11^th- and 14^th-place finishes. Freshman Erik Enriquez followed closely, coming in 16^th in his debut in a Shocker uniform.
 
"This is only the beginning, though," Hunter said. "We need to continue to work together and try to close the gaps between our first and seventh guys as the year progresses."
 
On the women's side Danielle Rinn raced to a top-10 finish in the 5,000 meters with a personal-best time of 17:49.90.
 
"It was a great day for Danielle as she has taken the step to the next level as a runner," Hunter said.
 
Abeba Sullivan also ran a personal-best time of 18:09.50 to cross the line in 16^thplace. Lubna Suied and McKenna Paintin placed 24^th (18:33.70) and 30^th(18:41.60), respectively, counting towards the Wichita State women's team total of 112 points.
 
Rounding out the point scorers was freshman Jenna Muma, who placed 32^nd in her Shocker debut with a time of 18:46.50 after racing unattached at the JK Gold Classic.
 
"These ladies take pride in what they're doing and are very motivated," Hunter said. "We need to continue to strive to get better and close the gaps for us to have success at the later meets."

The Shockers are back in action Friday, Oct. 1 for the Gans Creek Invitational in Columbia, Mo.