By Marissa Masano / The Jambar
For the first time this season, the Youngstown State University cross country team raced at home in the YSU Invitational on Sept. 20 at the Beau Gorby Family Championship Cross Country Course.
Coming into the meet, the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association ranked the YSU men’s team as the top squad in the Horizon League and second-best in Ohio — under The Ohio State University.
The Penguins finished second overall with 47 points, and fielded six runners in the 8K. Leading the pack was junior Josh Jones, who claimed second place individually with a time of 26:28.02. Redshirt junior Thomas Hunyadi followed closely behind with a sixth-place finish at 26:55.78.
Junior Zac Haley rounded out the Penguins’ top-10 finishers with an eighth-place time of 27:01.85. Junior Trenton Shutters finished 20th at 29:11.03. Underclassmen rounded out the team’s scoring with redshirt freshman Ethan Cope and sophomore Brock Farris who finished 28th and 29th, respectively.
Freshman Owen Scott, who ran unattached, took first place with a time of 26:26.81. The team title went to Gannon University, who scored 43 points collectively and posted an average finishing time of 27:53.57.
The YSU women’s cross country team finished third in the 5K with a team total of 65 points. Sophomore Linsey Plant led the Penguins in her season debut to place sixth overall, with a time of 19:41.48. Just behind her, fellow sophomore Lauren Runion finished seventh, with a time of 19:53.95.
In her collegiate debut, freshman Karis McElhaney placed 11th with a time of 20:16.15. Sophomore Breanna Joki also earned a top-20 finish in 19th-place with 21:33.31. Seniors Carly Hall and Molly Hopple crossed the line back-to-back in 27th and 28th place, respectively.
Duquesne University senior Gina Bolla claimed the individual title, at 18:23.64. The team title went to Gannon University, who secured the win with a low score of 23 points.
Following the meet, Head Coach Brian Gorby announced that Associate Head Coach Eric Rupe will be inducted into the YSU Hall of Fame in February 2026. A former Penguin standout from 2010 to 2015, Rupe made program history in 2013 by becoming the first Youngstown State male runner to win a cross country conference championship.
The Penguins will return to action at home Sept. 27 as they host another YSU Invitational at the Gorby Family Championship Cross Country Course. The women’s race is set to begin at 10 a.m., followed by the men’s race at 10:45 a.m.