Terre Haute, Ind. ? Kansas University junior Reid Buchanan placed 142nd on Saturday at the NCAA men’s cross country championship.

Buchanan finished the 10K in 31:44.0 — the best KU finish at nationals in seven years.

“I wasn’t that nervous before the race, but the atmosphere certainly made things exciting,” Buchanan said. “The mud and the freezing temperatures made conditions for the race pretty difficult. I didn’t get out very well at the start of the race, but I thought I closed well in the last 500 meters or so. I think having a team there to run with and fight for when the conditions are tough would have really helped today. That will definitely be the goal for next year.”