Fort Wayne, Ind. – It was a day to remember for the Youngstown State men’s and women’s cross-country teams as each program secured Horizon League titles as the Mastodon Cross Country Course.
The men’s 8K kicked off the day’s festivities, and the Penguins were led by Horizon League Men’s Freshman of the Year, Patrick Burgos. He placed fourth individually with a time of 23:55.7. The Penguins placed six runners in the top 20, as Blaze Fichter finished sixth (24:00.2), Tobias Jones placed 10th (24:09.7), Sage Vavro was 11th (24:15.0), Owen Brady finished 19th (24:33.8), and Brock Farris rounded out the top 20 right behind Brady, clocking a time of 24:36.3. Ethan Cope was the next Penguin to cross the finish line in 27th place with a time of 24:41.7, while Josh Jones finished right behind him in 28th, clocking a time of 24:43.0. Connor Singleton placed 36th (24:57.8), Beau Gorby finished 46th (25:14.4), Zac Haley placed 49th (25:17.1), and Thomas Hunyadi rounded out the Penguin men with a time of 26:42.3, placing 95th.
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 Penguins had 50 points, while Oakland placed second, totaling 92 points, and IU Indianapolis finished third with 99 points…