TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – No. 10 Northern Arizona men's cross country defied expectations today in Terre Haute, Ind. when they came in with 188 points, good for a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships.

This the third-straight podium finish for the Lumberjacks and the fifth podium finish for the 'Jacks since Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Eric Heins took the reins eight years ago.

Futsum Zienasellassie led the way for the 'Jacks with a third-place finish, his career-best NCAA Championship finish. He came-in with a 10K time of 30:25.30, battling Oregon's Eric Jenkins along the straightaway for the runner-up spot. Oregon's Edward Cheserek – last year's champion – defended his victory with a 10K time of 30:19.40.

Zienasellassie finished second at the Washington Invitational, Wisconsin adidas Invitational and the Mountain Regional. He beat the top-finishers at those races – Patrick Tiernan of Villanova, Maksim Korolev of Stanford and Anthony Rotich of UTEP – today at the NCAA Championships.

"It was a great finish," said Heins. "He's been extremely consistent this year. He got beat by two very talented runners. He put himself in there and had the finish we needed to accomplish our goals."

Matt McElroy came in next for the 'Jacks, 31st overall with a time of 30:49.10. It was his second All-American honor. Caleb Hoover is also bringing his second All-American medal back to Flagstaff with his 36th-place finish and time of 30:52.20.

Tyler Byrne filled the 'Jacks fourth spot with a 55th-place finish and time of 31:09.30. Alejandro Montano was the final Lumberjack scorer with his 108th-place finish and time of 31:36.80. Nathan Weitz and Cody Reed also competed for the 'Jacks in Terre Haute.

"It was a great season," said Heins. "There were a lot of ups and downs as well as injuries we had to deal with, but the guys came through, winning a Big Sky Championship and having a podium finish at the NCAA Championships. It phenomenal and it shows a lot about their character.

From the women's team, Melanie Townsend had a strong showing at her first national meet. She finished 56th overall with a time of 20:55.70.

"Melanie's performance today is a good step in the right direction for the entire women's program," said Assistant Coach Leah Rosenfeld. "Mel's a redshirt sophomore so she has two more national championships ahead of her, and we told her she'd have her whole team with her next year. To have the experience of being at the national championships is excellent. She can bring that back to the team, let them know what to expect and they'll be a little more prepared."

Townsend finishes the year having notched top 15 finishes at the George Kyte Invitational, Washington Invitational, Pre-Nationals, the Big Sky Championships and the Mountain Regional.

"Being great at the end of the season is hard to do," said Rosenfeld. "She definitely did it today."

On the men's side, Colorado repeated as national champions with a score of 65. Stanford and Portland rounded out the men's podium. Michigan State, Iowa State, New Mexico and Georgetown filled the women's podium.