The Hillsdale men’s cross country team was represented in two different meets this past weekend. Eight members of the men’s team ran in the Blue Division race of the Louisville Cross Country Classic, and another five members of the team raced in the Lansing Community College Invitational. 

The Lansing meet took place on Friday, September 30th. Sophomore Caleb Bigler was the first Charger to cross the finish line, coming in 27th place at the 26:53 mark, setting a new personal best. 

“All five of us racing had the headstrong mindset of wanting to leave nothing behind when we crossed the finish line,” Bigler said. “The guys watching the results from Louisville could see that the efforts of their training were starting to show and they could apply that to the way they approached the race the next day.”

Also competing in Lansing was sophomore Caleb Oser, who also ran a personal best of 27:12, which was good for 33rd place. Oser was followed by freshman Emil Schlueter, who finished 36th at 27:18. 

Junior Dylan Palmer and freshman Mark Masaka also raced in Lansing on Friday. Palmer finished 54th, and Masaka finished 58th. 

The first Charger to finish in the Louisville race on Saturday was sophomore Alex Mitchell, who set another personal best with a 25:09 time in the 8K race, which was good for 47th overall. Mitchell was followed by junior Mark Sprague, who ran a 25:24 8K race, good for 67th overall and his own personal best. 

Sophomores Donnie McArdle, Ross Kuhn, and junior Isaac Waffle followed Sprague, and all ran personal bests. 

“Saturday was definitely a confidence boost all around, and a good reminder that the behind-the-scenes work is what causes greatness,” sophomore Richie Johnston said. “Our time is still yet to come though, and you best believe we’ll be 110% ready to take our opportunity when it comes.”

Head coach R.P. White said he was very pleased with the team’s performance this past weekend, as well as the abundance of personal bests.

“The men who competed on Friday afternoon ran inspired races,” White said. “They set the tone for the weekend and instilled confidence for the guys who raced in Louisville the following day. The progress we have made is exciting as we quickly approach championship season.”

The Chargers will head to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to race in the Lucian Rose Invite on Saturday, October 8th, and then will have one more race before the G-MAC Conference championships in November.