Columbia, Mo. – The Youngstown State men's and women's cross-country teams competed against stacked fields this morning at the Pre-National Invitational at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course.
The women's 6K race began the morning's festivities, and the Penguins were led by junior standout McKinley Fielding. She placed 64th individually with a time of 20:42.8, which was just two seconds slower than her program-record time of 20:40, set last season at the Arturo Barrios Invitational on Oct. 18, 2024. Jenna Razavi followed Fielding with a placement of 152nd, clocking a time of 21:31.9. Caleigh Richards also placed inside the top 200 for YSU, finishing 185th with a time of 21:47.1. Lillian Katsaras and Maggie Hopple finished close together, as Katsaras crossed the line in 22:24.8, finishing in 258th place, while Hopple clocked a time of 22:26.1, good enough for a 260th-place finish. Kenzy Beckett and Megan Stafford were the other two Penguins who would've alternately scored, as Beckett finished in 291st with a time of 22:49.1, and Stafford placed 293rd with a time of 22:51.4. Carly Hall finished 305th (23:08.4), Karis McElhaney placed 311th (23:14.1), Lauren Runion finished in 312th-place (23:14.9), Molly Hopple placed 325th (23:33.5), and Linsey Plant rounded out the Penguin women with a time of 23:51.4, placing 331st.
The women finished 31st as a team, totaling 809 points. BYU finished first with 25 overall points.
The men's 8K race followed the women, and YSU was spearheaded by the duo of redshirt-freshman Patrick Burgos and graduate student Tobias Jones, who was making his season debut. Burgos placed 63rd with a time of 24:18.9, while Jones was right behind him with a 68th-place finish, clocking a time of 24:20.9. Owen Brady finished 103rd individually with a time of 24:47.2, followed closely by Sage Vavro, who placed 119th with a time of 24:56.3. Ethan Cope finished in 156th-place with a time of 25:15.4, while Blaze Fichter (171st -  25:27.7) and Brock Farris (180th – 25:31.9) were the alternate scorers for YSU. The other two Penguins who finished inside the top 200 were Josh Jones, who finished 182nd (25:33.9), and Connor Shingleton, who placed 197th (25:42.0). Beau Gorby finished 207th with a time of 25:48.5, Thomas Hunyadi placed 241st with a time of 26:38.4, and Zac Haley placed 242nd with a time of 26:39.2 to round out the Penguin men.
The YSU men finished 20th overall with 480 points. Georgia placed first with a team total of 119 points.
The Penguins will travel to Fort Wayne, Ind., to compete in the Horizon League Championships on Saturday, Nov. 1, at the Mastodon Cross Country Course. The men's 8K race will begin at 11 a.m., while the women's 6K race will begin at Noon.
For live updates and results throughout the 2025 season, follow @YSUTrackFieldXC on X.
