COLUMBIA, Mo. – The North Dakota State men's cross country team placed 18th at the NCAA Midwest Regional on Friday afternoon. It was the best team finish for the Bison men at the meet since 2015.
 
Junior Hunter Klimek led the Bison in the 10-kilometer race at Gans Creek Cross Country Course, taking 55th place overall in 30:38.1. Zach Johnson placed 84th in 31:05.9 to be NDSU's No. 2 runner.
 
Bison junior Jake Arason finished 104th in 31:19.6, sophomore Tyson Mahar was 120th in 31:30.0, and Symon Keiser completed the team scoring as NDSU's No. 5 runner in 123rd place.
 
Klimek's 55th-place finish was the highest for a Bison man at the Midwest Regional since Brett Kelly in 2014. Arason and Mahar both improved on their regional placings from last year.
 
Tulsa and Oklahoma State both posted scores of 49 points to claim the region's two automatic qualifying spots for the NCAA Championships.
 
The NCAA Midwest Regional completes the season for the Bison.