Youngstown State University
Horizon League Cross Country Championships
Cross Country Sets Sights on Horizon League Championships
10/27/2022 12:25:00 PM | Cross Country
The Youngstown State men's and women's cross country programs look to make their mark on the highly anticipated Horizon League Cross Country Championships on Saturday in Rochester, Mich. on the campus of Oakland University.
The women's 6k is set to begin at 11 a.m. followed by the men's 8k at noon.
The men have earned two Horizon League Championships in the last six seasons but finished runner-up to IUPUI, the 2022 preseason favorites, in the last two seasons. The Penguins were slated second in the conference preseason poll. They look to return to the top of the league for the first time since 2018.
Senior Chase Easterling will look to earn his second individual league title in the men's 8k, after taking the crown in 2020. In 2020, he was also the Horizon League Cross Country Athlete of the Year. Junior Hunter Christopher looks to find the top of the podium at the championship after a runner-up finish in 2021, where he was named a first-team all-league selection.
For the women, senior Morgan Cole led the Penguins at the 2021 Horizon League Championships, finishing third. She is a three-time first-team all-league selection, earning the honor in each of her last three seasons of competition. The women tied with Milwaukee, the reigning conference champions, for second in the league preseason poll with Oakland slated to win the league. The women last won the Horizon League Championships in 2014 and earned the runner-up nod in 2019.
Penguin Participants:
Men's 8k:
Keegan Barnette
Luke Baun
Thomas Caputo
Hunter Christopher
Tyler Clark
Ty Coon
Chase Easterling
Mike Formica
Beau Gorby
Riley Jackson
Tobias Jones
Ryan Meadows
Women's 6k:
Morgan Cole
Alayna Cuevas
Malena Cybak
Maria Dellimuti
Aiamyia Dudley
Carly Hall
Molly Hopple
Caylee Mackey
Mackenzie Scott
Ashley Ventimiglia
Last Time Out
A few members of the men's team competed at the Bill Lennox Slippery Rock Invitational on Oct. 22. Hanchosky led the Penguins in the men's 8k, finishing 28th with a time of 27:15. He was named the Nike #HLXC Men's Runner of the Week and Men's Freshman of the Week following his performance.
The men's and women's teams were last in action at the Penn State National Open, where they held strong against tough competition. The men's team placed four runners in the top 50 of the men's 5.2 mile, including a 14th-place finish by Chase Easterling with a time of 25:34.0. Hunter Christopher also finished top 20, placing 19th out of 138 runners with a time of 25:51.8.
Tyler Clark was the next finisher for YSU, clocking a 26:05.1 to place 30th. Ryan Meadows also turned out a top-50 performance, finishing 46th with a time of 26:25.9. The men finished seventh out of 14 teams, including finishing ahead of Penn State for the first time in YSU history.
Pacing the women's team in the 6k was Morgan Cole who clocked a 21:21.8 to finish 26th out of 161 runners. Following her performance, Cole earned her third Nike #HLXC Women's Runner of the Week award this season.
Carly Hall was the next Guin to cross the finish line in 69th with a time of 22:20.2, the 10th-fastest women's 6k time in program history.
Up Next
After conference champions, the Penguins will compete at the highly regarded NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships on Friday, November 11 in Terra Haute, Ind. The women's 6k is set for 10 a.m. followed by the men's 8k at 11 a.m.
For live updates and results throughout the 2022 season, follow @YSUTrackFieldXC on Twitter.
