Racing amongst the nation’s elite runners, Central College cross country student-athlete Mark Fairley crossed the finish line in 61st place at the NCAA Division III Championships Saturday.

Fairley clocked in at 25 minutes, 12.3 seconds in the 8,000-meter race, his second-fastest mark of the season.

In his two previous efforts at the national meet, Fairley finished 154th as a freshman and 98th as a sophomore.

Fairley will transition to the indoor track and field season, which kicks off December 3 with the Dutch Athletics Classic inside H.S. Kuyper Fieldhouse on Central’s campus.