Helms and Powell Make Pfeiffer History at the NCAA Championship

Terre Haute, Ind. (Nov. 23, 2024) – Pfeiffer University junior Sawyer Helms and sophomore Cannon Powell made Pfeiffer Athletics history on Saturday, as they both competed in the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The duo earned Pfeiffer's first at-large selections to the NCAA Championship after their performance at the NCAA South Regional last week and are the first male cross country runners to advance to the NCAA Championship in Pfeiffer's Division III era.

Sawyer ran to a 249^th place in the field of 294 runners, posting a time of 26:08.3.

Powell claimed a 277^th place finish with an 8K time of 26:47.0.

Wisconsin- La Crosse won the team title, while Wartburg and Pomona-Pitzer claimed second and third place, respectively.

Christian Patzka of Wisconsin-Whitewater won the individual NCAA Championship, edging Augsburg's Mohammed by 2.1 seconds, clocking a finishing time of 24:01.6.