Eastern Wayne Today

Wayne State University's men's cross country team secured first place at the Warrior Challenge, held Friday evening at Willow Metropark in New Boston, Michigan. The Warriors scored 35 points, ahead of Spring Arbor with 57 and Findlay with 77.

The team placed three runners among the top six finishers. Glen Davis finished first with a time of 25:08.40. Sean Pettis took fifth at 25:44.70, and Jared Platt came in sixth at 25:47.6. Ty Nagy and Ethan Pruzinsky claimed the eleventh and twelfth spots, finishing at 26:11.50 and 26:23.40 respectively.

Other Wayne State runners included Gabe Trevino (15th), Andrew Yax (16th), Anthony Vinson (21st), Ethan Muraszewski (25th), Ishaan Kundapur (27th), James Latstetter (32nd), Adam Hafeli (33rd), Brady Heron (35th), Aidan Lobsinger (40th), Ian Lewis (41st) and Ayden McDonald (55th).

Head coach Grant Lofdahl said, "Last season was a bit of a struggle for our men, and we entered this year with some questions as to what kind of a team we would be. It's still a long way to go until championship season, but these guys have already answered a lot of questions. They put on a good show for the home crowd and got a nice win that will build confidence for the bigger meets coming up."

Lofdahl added about individual performances, "Glen (Davis) got out pretty fast in the warm weather, but by the halfway point he was clearly in control of the race. That was an impressive performance, and only three-time all-American Ransom Allen has run faster among WSU men on our home course. Sean (Pettis) and Jared (Platt) made a bid for a 1-2-3 Warrior sweep and got caught by a few guys at the end, but solid races for both of them. Ty (Nagy) ran a very patient, smart race and was really rolling in the last lap. Ethan Pruzinsky hung tough in the last mile to seal the win for us, and Gabe (Trevino) and Andrew (Yax) were not far behind."

He concluded with expectations for upcoming competitions: "The competition will get much tougher in two weeks at Parkside, but we're excited for it. If we can close some gaps within our top-7 and compete as a team, this squad has the potential for big things in October and November."

The next event for Wayne State's men's cross country team is scheduled for September 27 at the Lucian Rosa Invitational hosted by University of Wisconsin-Parkside.