The 2025 season was one to remember for the Youngstown State Men's and Women's Cross Country programs, highlighted by a sweep of the Horizon League team titles, as well as an individual conference champion.
Horizon League Championships
The Horizon League Championships meet at the Mastodon Cross Country Course in Fort Wayne, Ind. on Nov. 1 will go down as one of the most successful days in school history as it marked the first time that both the men and women each won conference titles in the same year.
The men kicked off the meet with their 8K race and were led by redshirt-freshman Patrick Burgos, who placed fourth individually with a time of 23:55.7. The Penguin men placed all five scoring runners inside the top 20, as Blaze Fichter finished sixth, Tobias Jones placed 10th, Sage Vavro finished 11th, and Owen Brady rounded out the scoring for the 'Guins as he finished 19th.
The YSU men won their fourth-consecutive Horizon League Cross Country title, becoming just third program in conference history to achieve that feat, joining Notre Dame (1988-1994) and Butler (2002-2011). The title also marked the sixth in program history. The Penguins had 50 points, while Oakland placed second, totaling 92 points, and IU Indianapolis finished third with 99 points.
The women followed with their 6K race, which was dominated by junior McKinley Fielding. She cruised to victory with a time of 20:10.9, which broke her old program record by 30 seconds, and was 36 seconds quicker than the second-place finisher. Fielding became just the second YSU female to win a Horizon League XC title, joining Morgan Cole, who was victorious in 2022. Sophomore Caleigh Richards finished inside the top 10 at the league meet for the second-consecutive year, placing sixth, while Jenna Razavi also notched a top 10 finish, placing ninth. Freshman Maggie Hopple finished 18th, while Megan Stafford wrapped up the female scorers with a 21st-place nod.
The YSU women won their third Horizon League title in program history, and first since 2014. The Penguins had 54 points, followed by Purdue Fort Wayne with 74 points, and Oakland with 79.
Gorby Receives Women's Coach of the Year Recognition
YSU Men's and Women's Cross Country Head Coach Brian Gorby was honored after the completion of the conference championships as he was named the Horizon League Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year, marking the third time that he has won the award, and first time since 2014.
The two team titles from the men and women marked the 65th and 66th conference titles that Gorby has led the Youngstown State to as the head coach of the Track & Field and Cross Country programs.
Fielding Wins #HLXC Women's Athlete of the Year
McKinley Fielding became the second Penguin female to win the prestigious Horizon League Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Year award, joining Morgan Cole in 2022. This marked the third-straight year that a Penguin has received a #HLXC Athlete of the Year honor, as YSU great Hunter Christopher won the Men's Athlete of the Year award in 2023 and 2024.
On the season, Fielding was the top YSU finisher in each of the five races she competed in, including a victory at the Horizon League Championships on Nov.1, and also at the YSU Invitational XC Meet on Sept. 27, where she set a new course record 5K time of 17:35.5. She had an impressive 42nd-place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships in Evansville, Ind., on Nov. 14.
Burgos Named #HLXC Men's Freshman of the Year
Patrick Burgos was named the Horizon League Freshman of the Year after his fourth-place finish at the conference championships.
Burgos became the third YSU male to receive the honor, joining Sage Vavro (2023) and Tristan Dahmen (2016).
He competed in seven races during his redshirt-freshman campaign, placing inside the top 35 at four events, including a victory at the YSU Invitational XC Meet on Sept. 27.
Seven Penguins Earn All-League Honors
For the second-consecutive season, a total of seven Youngstown State Men's and Women's Cross Country runners earned First or Second Team All-Horizon League recognition.
Patrick Burgos and Blaze Fichter each were First Team All-Horizon League selections for the men, while McKinley Fielding and Caleigh Richards earned first-team recognition for the women.
This marked the third all-league selection for Fichter, as he was named a First-Team All-HL selection in 2024, as well as a second-team selection in 2023.
Fielding became the sixth Penguin woman to receive at-least two First-Team All-Horizon League honors, while Richards has been named all-league in each of her first two seasons, after being named to the second team last year.
Tobias Jones and Sage Vavro represented the men on the second team, while Jenna Razavi was the lone Penguin on the women's second team.
Great Lakes Regional Championships
The Penguins concluded their postseason journey at the Angel Mounds Cross Country Course in Evansville, Ind. on Nov. 14 as they raced in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships.
McKinley Fielding highlighted the meet for YSU, as she placed 42nd individually in the women's 6K race, clocking a time of 21:03.38. Her finish was a 20-spot improvement from the regional championship race in 2024. Caleigh Richards finished in 75th place, Jenna Razavi also finished inside the top 100 in 77th, while Megan Stafford (142nd) and Maggie Hopple (146th) rounded out the scoring field.
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.
Tobias Jones led the men as he closed out his cross-country career with a 53rd-place finish, clocking a 10K time of 31:42.78. Sage Vavro had a very strong race, finishing 57th, while Blaze Fichter placed 74th, Brock Farris finished 97th, and Ethan Cope placed 111th.
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.
Penguins Put Forth Strong Showings at Home Meets
Youngstown State was able to show off its home circuit, the Gorby Family Championship Cross Country Course, twice during the 2025 season.
The first set of races, taking place on Sept. 20, saw Josh Jones pace the men with a runner-up finish, clocking a 8K time of 26:28.02, while Linsey Plant lead the women with a sixth-place individual finish, clocking a 5K time of 19:41.4.
The Penguin women finished in second place as a team, while the men placed third.
The 'Guins were back on their home soil the following Saturday, Sept. 27, for another home meet.
Patrick Burgos and McKinley Fielding each had races to remember. Burgos won the men's 8K race with a course-record time of 25:18.7, a time that was 19 seconds quicker than the second-place finisher. Fielding won the women's 6K race with a course-record time of 17:35.5.
The men placed first with 26 total points, while the women were runners-up with 32 points.
#HLXC Runners of the Week
The Penguins earned five weekly honors from the Horizon League during the fall of 2025.
On Sept. 30, YSU swept all four weekly awards, with Patrick Burgos and McKinley Fielding winning the #HLXC Runners of the Week, while Burgos and Maggie Hopple won men's and women's Freshman of the Week honors.
Burgos also won Horizon League Men's Freshman of the Week on Oct. 21.
Academic Honors
Not only was YSU strong on the course this season, but numerous 'Guins also excelled in the classroom as well as six student-athletes were named to the 2025 Valeo #HLXC All-Academic Teams.
Owen Brady and Tobias Jones were named to the Men's All-Academic Team, while Blaze Fichter received honorable mention recognition. YSU Women's Cross Country student-athletes McKinley Fielding, Molly Hopple, and Caleigh Richards were each named to the Women's All-Academic Team.
