Three Recruits to Join Men's Cross Country for the 2015 Season
5.18.15 | Men's Cross Country
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PHILADELPHIA - Temple's men's cross country team will have three more recruits joining the team for the 2015 season. Ben Evans (Scranton, Pa./Scranton Prep), Darien Knudsen (Lewistown, Pa./Mifflin County) and Tyji Mays (Bensalem, Pa./Bensalem) will be competing for the Owls this upcoming fall. They will be joining two recruits from the early signing period, along with the entire team from last year as Temple did not graduate any runners.Ben Evans
"We're going to bring in a group of guys next year that will basically double the size of our men's cross country team," said assistant coach James Snyder. "I think that will be great for not only the guys coming in, but also for the guys that are here. It will make every one of our guys have to fight for their spot."
Evans is an All-State runner in cross country for Scranton Preparatory School in Scranton, Pa. He placed eighth at the 2014 PIAA State Cross Country Meet, sixth at the 2014 PIAA District 2 Championships and has a personal-best 5,000m time of 16:30.00. Evans is a multi-sport athlete who is also an All-State swimmer for Scranton Preparatory.
"Ben is a confident young man who is going to add depth to our group right away," said Snyder. "He's a great student as well and is a President's Scholar here at Temple."
Darien KnudsenKnudsen, a Lewistown, Pa. native, was the 3,200m Champion in District 6 for Mifflin County High School. He has personal-best times of 4:26.00 in the 1,600m and 9:33.00 for the 3,200m. Knudsen plans to major in media and communications at Temple.
"Darien's a great young man who was a part of our first official visit last fall," said Snyder. "He has some great range and talent and I'm excited to help him achieve all the goals he's set for himself over the next four years."
Mays competes for Bensalem High School's cross country team in Bensalem, Pa. His personal-best time for the 1,600m run is 4:22.00. Tyji Mays
"Tyji comes to Temple from just down road in Bensalem, Pa.," said Snyder. "His mother is a Temple alum and I know he's excited about competing here for the Owls. He's made some huge strides already this spring and has plenty of room to grow and develop as an athlete in our program."
"Any time that you are bringing in a big group of freshmen who have the abilities that these guys do, it can shake things up a bit," said Snyder. "I believe it is going to create some competition which will definitely make us better as a team. I am excited to see what these guys bring to our team next year."
