SPARTANBURG, S.C. — 

In his first career appearance at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, U.S. Coast Guard Academy senior Paul Hobbs (Vacaville, Calif.) closed out his collegiate career by placing 154th in a field of 291 runners.

Hobbs was the first Coast Guard cadet-athlete to qualify for the championship race since Gary Ezzo '14 reached it in 2013. The result caps off one of the best seasons for a Bears men's runner in recent history, which saw Hobbs earn New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) All-Conference and NCAA All-Mideast Region distinction.

It was an unseasonably warm and humid day at Milliken Research Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and the field of nearly 300 runners started at an aggressive pace. Hobbs got through the first 1k in 205th, and from there he consistently moved up through the field at each split before peaking in 144th at the 7k mark. The final kilometer was a challenging uphill portion, and Hobbs fell back to 154th among the big sprint to the finish. He crossed the line with a final time 25:41.

"I couldn't be prouder of the season and career Paul has had. Every single day for the past four years, he's shown up, put his nose to the grindstone, and given his best," says head coach Greg Ahnrud. "He's made marked improvements each season and has lead our team from a very middling program to one that is working towards the upper levels of our region and starting to get national recognition."

Hobbs will go down as one of the top male runners in Academy cross country history. Each of his times this past season has placed inside the program's top 20, and he's been the team's top finisher at every race for all four years of his career. His personal best of 24:57, which he set at Wesleyan University's Cardinal Invitational this past September, was the third-fasted 8k time in school history.

Hobbs will now turns his attention towards indoor track & field season, where he will also be a major leader in the distance events this upcoming season.