The Cyclones raced their first 8K of the season at the Spartan Classic on the Northwestern Medicine Cross Country Course in Batavia. The men took sixth place overall without their full squad among some tough competitors.

Even through a hilly course, Moraine Valley ran well, which is encouraging since this is where the Region 4 championship will take place.

Jack Kajmowicz led the charge again, crossing first for the Cyclones in 24th place in 29:10.30. Only a few seconds behind him was Andrew Sima in 28th place in 29:20.90. In his first college race, Noah Rigoni-Kreczmer was the third Cyclone across the line in 61st in 31:40.30. Right behind him was Joel Vargas-Cortes in 65th in 31:58.60 and Robert Slezak in 88th in 37:50.80.

"For the first 8K of the season for freshmen, I'm never sure how they'll handle the extended distance, but I'm pleased with what they did. This will be the same course we have the regional championship on, so it was nice to get some race experience on there. We heard it was a hilly course, which makes it tough, but they weren't intimidated going into the race. They all finished with positive attitudes," said Head Coach Dimitri Dimizas. "We were able to race five this time, but we're gradually getting everyone back healthy. I'm excited to see what our full team of seven can do these next few weeks."