HARDEEVILLE, S.C. — CIU cross country turned in a historic performance Saturday at the Sand Shark Invitational hosted by the University of South Carolina Beaufort, as both the men's and women's teams notched milestone.

Men's 8K

The CIU men's team shattered the school's all-time team 8K record with a combined time of 2:22:34, earning qualification for the NCCAA National Championships. Senior Josh Zhang led the Rams with a time of 26:17.9, pacing the group to its record-setting mark.

Sophomore Jacobo Garcia-Rivera crossed next in 27:02.0, followed by junior Joey Canning, who clocked 28:04.7, the 10th-fastest individual time in CIU program history. Juniors Spencer Evans (29:18.7) and freshman Mark Zagata (31:50.7) rounded out the scoring five, while freshman Corbin Otto (32:21.9) also competed for the Rams.

Women's 4K

On the women's side, sophomore Elizabeth Gustafson continued her standout season, finishing the 4K in 20:31.1 to qualify individually for the NCCAA Championships. Fellow sophomore Morgan Hartman followed in 22:15.7, while senior Jordan Wray (23:50.4) and freshman Christine Morales (26:26.4) completed CIU's lineup.

The Rams head to Knoxville, Tenn. to take part in the NAIA Appalachian Challenge on Oct. 24.