The Youngstown men's and women's cross country programs delivered impressive starts to their 2023 campaigns at the Penn State Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational in University Park, Pa. Friday morning.
Morgan Cole led the women's squad with a top-10 finish in the 6k. She clocked a 21:35.1 to place 10th overall in a talented poll of 75 runners.
Newcomer Alyssa Deeds was the next Penguin to cross the line, finishing 47th with a time of 23:19.6. Aiamyia Dudley placed 56th, clocking a 23:53.0. Close behind Dudley was Hannah Wagner, running a time of 23:53.6 for 57th place.
Alayna Cuevas rounded out the scoring effort for the Penguins, finishing 61st with a time of 24:08.1.
As a team, the women finished with 151 points for sixth place. Penn State earned the team victory while Syracuse placed second.
In the men's 5.2 mile, redshirt freshman Owen Brady led the way as four Penguins placed in the top 50. Brady clocked a 26:36.0 in his Penguin debut for a 33rd-place finish.
Close behind Brady was Tobias Jones who placed 35th with a time of 26:39.9. Tyler Clark was next to cross the finish line, running a time of 26:43.2 for 39th place.
Also in the top 50 was Thomas Caputo who clocked a 26:46.3 en route to a 42nd-place finish. Rounding out the scoring effort for the men was redshirt freshman Blaze Fichter, who clocked a 27:04.5Â for 51st place.
Overall, the men finished sixth with 163 points in a talented poll of 72 runners. Winning the invitational was Syracuse followed by Pittsburgh in second.
The Penguins will forgo the All-Ohio Cross Country Championships originally scheduled for September 15 and return to action at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational on September 29.
