DELAWARE, Ohio - Led by a second-place finish from senior Matt Svetz, the Allegheny men's cross country team placed second at the 2018 North Coast Athletic Conference Cross Country Championship, hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University.

A year removed from his fourth-place finish at the 2017 NCAC Championships, Svetz covered the 8-kilometer course at Ohio Wesleyan in 25:45 to place second among a field of 98 runners. It marked Svetz's fourth top-10 finish and third top-five effort, as the veteran has been the Gators' top finisher in all five events in the 2018 campaign.

Svetz was one of three Gators to earn All-NCAC laurels by placing in the top 21. Freshman Tim Weighart continued his impressive rookie campaign by finishing 13th in a time of 26:41, placing second among all first-year runners, and less than a second from being tabbed the NCAC Newcomer of the Year.

Competing in his final conference championship meet, senior Louis McUmber earned his first career All-NCAC citation, placing 18th in a time of 26:53.

Junior Benjamin Slack-Foust finished just one spot outside of All-NCAC recognition by taking 22nd overall in 27:09.8, while fellow third-year Luke Kellet was a fifth Gator runner to place in the top-25 after posting a time of 27:32 to take 25th.

A third junior, Seth Conard, placed 29th in 27:38, while sophomore Jared Szklenski posted a time of 27:33 to take 31st and round out the Gators' top seven.

As a team, Allegheny totaled 80 points to sit comfortably in second place, 19 points ahead of third-place Wooster, and 24 in front of fourth-place Wabash. Paced by individual winner and NCAC Runner of the Year Paul Christian (25:32), DePauw University claimed the team title with 37 points, as the Tigers boasted four runners in the top 11, and six in the top 20.

Following fourth-place Wabash, Oberlin came in fifth with 242 points, Denison sixth at 150, Ohio Wesleyan seventh at 163, Kenyon eighth at 164, and Wittenberg ninth at 233. 

This marks Allegheny's second straight runner-up finish at the NCAC Cross Country Championship, while the Gators have now finished either first or second in the league in 16 of the past 17 seasons.

The Gators will now prep for the 2018 NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Championship, slated for Sat. Nov. 3 in Franklin, Indiana.