Evansville, Ind. – The Youngstown State men's and women's cross-country programs concluded their very successful 2025 seasons Friday morning at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships on the Angel Mounds Cross Country Course.
The women's 6K race began the day, and once again the Penguins were led by Horizon League champion McKinley Fielding. She placed 42nd individually with a time of 21:03.38, which is a 20-spot improvement from her 62nd-place finish last year. Caleigh Richards wrapped up her sophomore season with a 75th-place finish, clocking a time of 21:34.82. Jenna Razavi was the third Penguin to finish inside the top 100 as her time of 21:37.35 was good enough for 77th place. Megan Stafford and Maggie Hopple finished close together, as Stafford placed 142nd with a time of 22:35.14 and Hopple finished in 146th place with a time of 22:39.33. Lillian Katsaras finished 167th with a time of 23:00.45, and Karis McElhaney rounded out the 'Guins with a time of 23:48.87, good enough for a 202nd-place finish.
The Penguin women finished 16th as a team with 461 points. Notre Dame won the regional title with 22 total points. Wisconsin placed second with 95 points, while Toledo rounded out the top three with 104 points.
The YSU men were led during their 10K race by graduate student Tobias Jones, who rounded out his cross-country career with an individual finish of 53rd place as he clocked a time of 31:42.78. He finished one spot ahead of his 54th-place nod at the regional championships last year. Sage Vavro had a very strong final push as he finished in 57th with a time of 31:45.50. Blaze Fichter placed 74th with a time of 31:11.09, while Brock Farris finished 97th with a time of 32:27.59, and Ethan Cope finished closely behind him in 111th with a time of 32:41.90. Owen Brady placed 131st with a time of 33:05.16, and Patrick Burgos rounded out the Penguins with a time of 34:01.78, finishing 173rd.
The Penguin men finished 12th as a team with 388 total points. Notre Dame won the regional title for the men as well with 60 points. Butler placed second with 75 points, while Wisconsin finished third with 99 points.
