Youngstown State University
Joe Piane Notre Dame Cross Country Invitational
Penguins Back in Action at the Joe Piane Notre Dame XC Invitational
10/2/2024 12:38:00 PM | Cross Country
The Youngstown State men's and women's cross-country teams will be back in action this weekend when they travel to the prestigious Joe Piane Notre Dame Cross Country Invitational at Burke Cross Country/Golf Course in South Bend Ind.
Men's Preview
The Youngstown State men were accepted into the Men's Blue Race for the second year in a row and just the third time in the last 25 years. The 8K race will begin at approximately 11:15 a.m.
14 men will compete for the Penguins: Keegan Barnette, Owen Brady, Thomas Caputo, Hunter Christopher, Blaze Fichter, Beau Gorby, William Hanchosky, Thomas Hunyadi, Riley Jackson, Joshua Jones, Tobias Jones, Ryan Meadows, Connor Shingleton, and Sage Vavro.
The men are coming off a seventh-place overall finish at the Roy Griak Invitational in Falcon Heights, Minn. on Sept. 20. Senior Thomas Caputo put together a 32nd-place finish with a time of 25:46.6. Sophomore Owen Brady crossed the finish line closely behind Caputo as he ran a time of 25:47.5, good enough for a 36th-place finish. Fifth-year runner Ryan Meadows rounded out the Penguins that finished in the top 50, as he finished 44th with a time of 25:54.6. Senior Tobias Jones finished right behind Meadows as his time of 26:04.6 gave him a 51st-place finish.
Also, three men placed in the top 15 finishers at the YSU Inaugural Alumni Cross Country Meet at the Gorby Family Championship Cross Country Course on Sept. 21 in Canfield. Sophomore Thomas Hunyadi led the Penguin men as he put together a 13th-place finish with a time of 26:54.08. Fifth-year runner Riley Jackson's time of 27:04.79 was good enough for a 15th-place finish, and Senior Beau Gorby finished 16th with a time of 27:07.08.
The men were listed as the top-ranked Horizon League team in the latest USTFCCCA Great Lakes Regional Rankings. YSU is ranked 11th, with fellow Horizon League school Oakland also being ranked in the top 15, coming in at number 14.
Women's Preview
The Youngstown State women will compete in the Women's Gold Race on Friday afternoon, with the 5K race slated to begin at approximately 1:30 p.m.
15 women will compete for the Penguins: Cecelia Chase, Kenzy Beckett, Alayna Cuevas, Aiamyia Dudley, McKinley Fielding, Molly Hopple, Bre Joki, Caylee Mackey, Linsey Plant, Jenna Razavi, Grace Rhoades, Calleigh Richards, Lauren Runion, Megan Stafford, and Molly Yasnowski.
The YSU women placed first out of nine teams that competed at the YSU Inaugural Alumni Cross Country Meet that took place on Sept. 21. Sophomore McKinley Fielding continued her very strong start to the season as she finished second individually, running a time of 17:51.58. Freshman Calleigh Richards made it two Penguins to finish in the top three as she ran a time of 18:21.32. Junior Jenna Razavi's time of 18:54.28 gave her a fifth-place finish. The next Penguin to cross the finish line was Molly Hopple, as she ran a time of 19:44.35 to finish 17th, and Megan Stafford clocked a time of 19:54.83 to finish 23rd.
Competing Teams
40 men's teams will compete at the meet: Adams State, Akron, Appalachian State, Belmont, Boise State, Bradley, Cal Baptist, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Dayton, Eastern Michigan, Grand Valley State, Green Bay, Idaho State, Indiana State, IU Indianapolis, Liberty, Maine, Miami (OH), Michigan State, Milwaukee, Northern Arizona, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Pepperdine, Purdue, Purdue-Fort Wayne, Saint Thomas (MN), Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Texas Tech, Valparaiso, Washington State, Western Illinois, Western Ontario (CA), Windsor (CA), Wisconsin-LaCrosse, Wright State, Wyoming, Vanderbilt, and Youngstown State.
47 women's team will compete at the meet: Adams State, Akron, Appalachian State, Ball State, Belmont, Boise State Bradley, BYU, Cal Baptist, Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Cleveland State, Dayton, Eastern Michigan, Grand Valley State, Green Bay, Idaho State, Indiana State, IU Indianapolis, Kansas, Liberty, Maine, Miami (OH), Michigan State, Milwaukee, Mississippi State, NIU, Northern Arizona, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Pepperdine, Purdue, Purdue-Fort Wayne, Saint Thomas (MN), Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Texas Tech, Valparaiso, Vanderbilt, Washington State, Western Illinois, Western Michigan, Western Ontario (CA), Windsor (CA), Wisconsin-LaCrosse, Wright State, Wyoming, and Youngstown State.
Up Next
The Penguins will return to action in two weeks when they travel to the Texas A&M Arturo Barrios Invitational at the Dale Watts Cross Country Course in College Station, Texas on Oct. 18.
For live updates and results throughout the 2024 season, follow @YSUTrackFieldXC on X.
