Fort Wayne, Ind. - The Youngstown State men's and women's cross-country teams began the 2025 campaign in Horizon League territory, competing at the Mastodon Alumni Open, hosted by Purdue Fort Wayne.

The Penguins men kicked things off and ran as a pack for the entirety of their 5K race, with 11 of the 12 Penguins that competed finishing consecutively. Ethan Cope paced the 'Guins with a time of 16:51.2, finishing 27th. Owen Brady and Blaze Fichter finished tied for 28th, each running a time of 16:51.4, followed by Noah Johnson, who finished 30th with the same time. Beau Gorby finished 31st with a time of 16:51.5, while Connor Shingleton, Zac Haley, and Patrick Burgos finished 31-32-33 as they each ran a time of 16:51.6. Brock Farris finished 35th with a time of 16:51.7, followed by Josh Jones in 36th (16:51.9), Thomas Hunyadi in 37th (16:51.9), and Trenton Shutters rounded out the Penguins with a 52nd-place finish, clocking a time of 17:34.4.

The Penguins men placed third as a team with 90 total points.

The YSU women were led by the reigning Horizon League Cross Country Women's Freshman of the Year, Caleigh Richards, during their 5K race. Richards placed 26th, crossing the finish line in 20:00.0, followed by Jenna Razavi, who finished in 20:00.2 and finished 28th. The next seven 'Guins finished consecutively, as Kenzy Beckett placed 41st with a time of 21:07.2, Molly Hopple finished 42nd with a time of 21:07.4, Carly Hall finished 43rd with a time of 21:07.5 in her first XC race representing YSU since 2022, and Megan Stafford crossed the line in 21:07.6, finishing 44th. Lillian Katsaras was the next runner to finish, crossing the line just less than 10 seconds later at 21:16.6, finishing 45th, followed by Linsey Plant and Lauren Runion, who also finished with the same time but finished 46th and 47th, respectively. Breanna Joki rounded out the Penguins with a 50th-place finish, clocking a time of 21:44.2.

The Penguins women finished fourth with a team score of 117 points.

Up Next

The Penguins will return home for the first of back-to-back home tournaments at the Gorby Family Championship Cross Country Course inside the Mill Creek Metroparks on Sept. 20. The women's race will begin at 10 a.m. with the men's race following shortly after.

For live updates and results throughout the 2025 season, follow @YSUTrackFieldXC on X.