CLINTON, MS- Ben Parva finished seventh in a loaded field, leading the Majors to an eighth-place team finish at the Watson Invitational at Choctaw Trails. 

"This was a strong meet for us," coach Andy Till said. "Ben, Ken and Jared were really strong and everyone took advantage of the ideal conditions. It is not easy running on a Friday, right after you get out of classes, I am proud of the guys."

Parva was the top division-III runner on Friday and seventh overall with a time of 26:35.07. Parva opened with a strong first mile at 5:13 and used that momentum in his strong race. 

"That's right where we want him to be after mile one," Till said. "Ben has gotten stronger as the year has gone on, I am excited to see how low he can go."

Ken Newburger went sub-28 minutes finishing 25th overall with a time of 27:55.56 in what was a strong race for the junior. Jared Allen was not far behind, placing 44th overall with a time of 28:41.34. Allen and Newburger managed their race well and placed solid times overall. 

Travis Hebeler fought his way to a time of 30:11.46 and 79th place overall. He was followed by Sam Martin in 88th place and a time of 30:50.96 and Michael Sullivan who finished 96th with a time of 31:29.88.

"We are getting stronger everytime we are out there," Till said. "The conditions are getting better for our guys and I am excited about what we can do at Berry."

The Majors will take next weekend off before racing in Rome, Georgia in the Berry Invitational on October 18th.