ELSAH, Ill. – Ben Rankin and Raven Arellano enjoyed their first tastes of the NAIA National Championships on Saturday while running for the Lancers.

Arellano finished in 178th place out of 334 runners, crossing the finish line in a time of 19:20.

“Raven ran a solid race for her first experience at nationals. She got boxed in a bit in the first mile and never was really in a great position,” said Grace head coach Jeff Raymond. “With more than 300 runners, it was a good learning experience.”

Rankin beat out over half of the competitors in the 331-man race. He ended in 153rd place with a time of 26:21.

“I thought Ben raced very well, especially for a freshman at his first nationals,” Raymond said. “It was a tough, hilly course, so to finish in the top half of the participants was a nice accomplishment for him.”