Buccaneer newcomer captures gold in first ETSU race

BLACKSBURG, Va. (Sept. 15, 2023) – For those who didn't know the name Jason Bowers (Parys, South Africa) – you do now.

Competing in his first race as a Buccaneer, Bowers blitzed the field in Blacksburg on Friday evening. Bowers captured gold with ease at the Virginia Tech Alumni Invitational as he turned in a time of 23:54.6 on the Buford Meredith Cross Country Course. This marked Bowers' third-fastest collegiate mark.

Bowers, who transferred in from Cumberland University, bested the field by over 30 seconds in his first race of the campaign. The Blue & Gold went one-two on Friday as Evan Guzman (Franklin, Tenn.) finished runner-up with a time of 24:28.9. Guzman shaved 36 seconds off his time from last year on this course where he placed fifth.

Overall, the Bucs finished second as a team with 57 points, while host Virginia Tech won the team event with 25 points.

Xian Campbell (Chattanooga, Tenn.) registered his second-best collegiate finish as he placed 12th with a time 25:25.2, while Myles Stoots (Mobile, Ala.) and Chance Underwood (Ooltewah, Tenn.) capped off the scoring for the Blue & Gold. Stoots finished 21st (25:39.8) and Underwood – running his second collegiate race – came in 36th (26:20.7).

The Bucs return to action on Saturday, Sept. 30 when ETSU travels to Kentucky for the Live in Lou XC Classic.

For more information on Buccaneer men's cross country, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men's cross country tab.