LOUISVILLE, Kent. -- Samuel Gerstenbacher became the Elizabethtown College men's cross country program's newest All-American on Saturday at the NCAA Division III XC Championships at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park. In his final cross country race, Gerstenbacher finished in the top 35 to earn the all-america status. He is E-town's first All-American since Zach Trama in 2015.

Despite the muddy course conditions, Gerstenbacher put himself in a good spot through 1,000 meters. The senior sat in 35th, just a few seconds off the leader's pace.

By the 3,000-meter marker, Gerstenbacher had moved up four spots into 31st and stayed there through 4,000-meters.

Known for his ability to close out his races, Gerstenbacher continued his 5:01 per mile pace and with less than 2,000-meter to go in the race, had moved into the top 30, to 28th.

In the end, the three-time Landmark Conference champion crossed in 24:52.0 and was 27th overall out of 279 runners. Gerstenbacher became the program's sixth different All-American since 2001. It was the eighth All-America performance by a Blue Jays' runner since Dustin Scott's 14th-place finish in 2001.