CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (Nov. 18, 2023) – ETSU's Jason Bowers loves the big stage. 
 
It showed on Saturday as the Buccaneer newcomer earned All-American honors after placing 22nd at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, which was held at Panorama Farms in Charlottesville, Va. 
 
Bowers finished the 10K course with a time of 29:32.7. In a field of 254 runners, the Buccaneer sophomore waited patiently and climbed up the leaderboard throughout the race to finish in the top-25. Bowers was in 95th at the 1000m mark and moved into the top-50 (47th) at the midway point of the race. With 3000m remaining, Bowers was in 35th and he kicked it into another gear as he jumped 13 runners down the stretch to move into 22nd. 

"I'm happy with how I performed today," said Bowers. "I set out to accomplish a goal and succeeded. Together, with my coach, I worked toward our goal, which I accomplished. I am grateful to my teammates for coming to cheer me on – their support and the inspiration from those back home in South Africa provided me with the extra push I needed for today. It was my first NCAA Nationals, and from what I've learned it was a race to remember. I'm looking forward to what the future holds for me at ETSU."
 
Harvard's Graham Blanks won the race with a time of 28:37.7, while New Mexico's Habtom Samuel (28:40.7) and Stanford's Ky Robinson (28:55.7) also finished on the podium. 
 
Oklahoma State won the team title as the second-ranked Cowboys finished with 49 points and top-ranked Northern Arizona finished second with 71 points. 
 
Bowers capped off an illustrious first year in the Blue & Gold which saw him set two school records, win two individual titles, earn three Southern Conference Runner of the Week honors, finish runner-up at the SoCon Championship and fifth at the NCAA Regional and be named SoCon Runner of the Month for September. 
 
Click here for a full listing of results from Saturday's championship. 

For more information on ETSU Cross Country, visit www.ETSUBUCS.com and click on Cross Country.