After dominating the Wayne State University Warrior Challenge on September 13th, Charger men’s cross country captured the meet title while women’s cross country secured the runners-up slot. 

The men’s team finished first in their debut eight-kilometer meet of the season, defeating 14 other teams, including host team Wayne State University. Senior Richie Johnston led the Chargers and finished fourth overall with one of his best 8k times. Junior Gabriel Phillips was next for the Chargers, finishing eleventh overall. 

“Going into the race, I felt lethargic and tired, probably from the heat and the training load, but the race went well,” Phillips said. 

Cross country isn’t just about the lead runners; the first team with five runners to cross the line wins the race. It was the pack behind Johnston and Phillips that secured the Charger victory for the men. Junior Nathaniel Osborne was next to finish for the Chargers, running his personal best time for a thirteenth-place finish. Behind him was sophomore Caleb Youngstedt in seventeenth and senior Ross Kuhn in twenty-first, bringing five Chargers in to win the race. 

“It was an exciting race,” Osborne said. “I felt strong throughout the race, but what really matters is staying in control early on and remaining strong in the last mile or so, and nothing helps more than having your teammates around you to keep your effort in check.” 

The women’s team showed their strength as they came in second after finishing their first six-kilometer meet of the season. Freshman Evyn Humphrey placed second individually, and freshman Allison Kuzma finished in sixth, followed by sophomore Savannah Fraley in ninth. 

“Overall, I would say the race felt good,” Kuzma said. “Going in, I didn’t have many expectations as it was my first six-kilometer race, but I finished feeling proud of my performance.”

Charger cross country will compete at the Lucian Rosa Invite, hosted by the University of Wisconsin–Parkside in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on September 28th.