SPARTANBURG, S.C. (Oct. 17, 2026) — Pfeiffer University turned in a strong performance against a field loaded with NCAA Division I competition, placing ninth in the men's 8K team standings Saturday at the Upstate Invite at Milliken Arboretum.
The Falcons finished with 271 points and a team time of 2:06:52, earning a top-10 finish among the 19 scoring teams in the event.
Pfeiffer's front-running duo of
Bricen Burleson and
Cannon Powell led the charge, finishing 28th and 30th overall, respectively. Burleson crossed the line in 24:46.4, while Powell followed closely in 24:50.6, with both being career bests in an 8K race, doing so while cracking the top 30 in the highly competitive field.
The Falcons placed three runners inside the top 100 overall, with
Aiden Edwards finishing 70th in 25:29.0 (PR).
Triston Rabon added a 25:48.9 effort, also a career-best while
Chase Tompkins also posted a career best while completing Pfeiffer's scoring five with a time of 25:57.7.
Pfeiffer's remaining scorers helped secure the ninth-place finish, as
Alim Coleman clocked a 26:22.3 and
Jacob Allen followed in 26:23.0, which was a career-best.
The Falcons finished ahead of several NCAA Division I programs, including College of Charleston, Mercer, East Tennessee State, and USC Upstate.
Charleston Southern captured the team title with 46 points, followed by Duke and Furman.
Behind a pair of top-30 performances and a tightly packed scoring group separated by just over a minute, Pfeiffer showcased impressive depth and competitiveness against one of the strongest fields it will face all season
