The Cyclones were happy to finally get the racing season underway at the Earlybird Invitational at Elmhurst College, where the men finished 10th.

For every runner on the team, this was their first time racing against four-year colleges and universities. They raced among 13 teams and 155 individuals over the 6K course. Sophomore Jackson Sima led the way in 21:57 for 74th place followed closely by Brandon Armendarez (21:58, 77th). Crossing the line after those two were Thomas Diaz (22:13, 82nd), Gavin Hampton (22:50, 96th), Scott Beveridge (24:04, 114th) and Nicholas Cunico (25:00, 127th).

"I was pleased with how the men ran but understand that there is a lot of learning left to do. We need to work on pacing, negative splitting and pack running. For most of them, it was their first college race, and it was a good way to get some of the nerves out," said Head Coach Dimitri Dimizas. "We were missing a couple of key guys who we hope to have back soon. Next meet they'll move up to the standard 8K distance, and that will give us a better idea of where we stand."