Final Results (.pdf)

VALPARAISO, Ind. - For the second straight race to start the season, sophomore Alex Ratkovich led the IUPUI men's cross country pack to the finish line, clocking a 6K time of 18:50.3 at Friday night's (Sept. 6) Crusader Classic. IUPUI finished third among the five schools competing, falling to Notre Dame and Loyola. The Jags closed just ahead of in-state rival Indiana State and host Valparaiso. 

Ratkovich, who placed eighth overall, continued to be the Jaguars' anchor ahead of a jumbled deck of a team pack behind him. Sophomore Eric Hoffman finished 11th overall at 18:55.4 and junior Ben Savage posted a time of 19:03.9 to place 15th. True freshman Nate Kaiser was among IUPUI's top five for the second straight race with a time of 19:24.6 and Dustin Starnes was next at 19:25.7. 

"We're starting to get back into the swing of racing on grass," Hoffman said. "We definitely have some work to do. The pieces are all there. We just have to put it all together come October."

"It was good to give our guys another chance to compete in a less stressful meet and a lot of them are from up here, so it's nice to give them a chance to run close to home," said head coach Chuck Koeppen, also a Valparaiso-native. "Our strength is going to be in our depth and I think we've got a chance to be pretty good because we have six or eight guys up in that front group. 

"Ratkovich is about as good of a kid as they come, so it doesn't surprise us that he's up front and kind of leading the way for us. His teammates voted him as a captain for a reason."

Josh Everetts and Josh Campbell were next in line in 29th and 32nd place, respectively. Everetts crossed the finish line in 19:26.9 and Campbell finished at 19:34.4. 

Koeppen continued to run a number of freshmen unattached, preserving their year of eligibility while redshirt decisions are still to be made. Brooks Long and Jarit Perkins were just off the pack's pace, finishing at 19:41 and 19:43. 

IUPUI will return to action against a stout national field on Sept. 21 when they compete in the John McNichols Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind.

Team Results
1. Notre Dame - 25
2. Loyola - 43
3. IUPUI - 82
4. Indiana State - 100
5. Valparaiso - 110

Individual Results
8. Alex Ratkovich - 18:50.3
11. Eric Hoffman - 18:55.4
15. Ben Savage - 19:03.9
27. Nate Kaiser - 19:24.6
28. Dustin Starnes - 19:25.7
29. Josh Everetts - 19:26.9
32. Josh Campbell - 19:34.4
34. Brooks Long - 19:41.7
35. Jarit Perkins - 19:43.2
41. Brennan Butche - 19:52.0
43. Lucas Rhed - 19:58.9
44. Josh Whitaker - 19:59.2
51. Roman Jennings - 20:19.2
57. Jake McCullough - 20:31.3
61. Noah Kramer - 20:47.4
65. Brandon Will - 20:59.7
69. Dakota Merkel - 21:13.0