ROCHESTER, Mich. - The IUPUI men's cross country team earned a runner-up finish at the 2022 Horizon League Championships on Saturday (Oct. 29), held at the Oakland University Cross Country Course. The Jaguars had three individuals run to all-league performances and finished with 54 points, falling only to Youngstown State's 29-point effort. 

Both Grant Moon and Eric Petersen earned first team all-league spots, by placing fifth and seventh, respectively. Nick Perkins earned second team all-league honors with an eighth-place finish and Mitchell Gits just missed an all-league spot, placing 15th overall. YSU had three finishers among the top four while Oakland's Yami Albrecht won on his home course in a time of 24:44.0. 

Moon came in behind a trio of YSU runners at 24:50.8 and Petersen crossed at 25:00.5. Perkins finished at 25:06.8 and Gits crossed at 25:34.3. Mitchell Rans capped the Jaguars' top five in a time of 25:47.9 to ultimately place 19th overall. 

"I'm really happy with how far this team has come over the course of the season," Moon said. "There was a lot of adversity we faced over the course of the year, so to come out with a runner-up finish is something we are all extremely proud of."

Injuries have chipped away at the Jaguars' depth all season long, but opened the door for others to step up. Jack Acton continued his ascent by finishing 26th overall in a time of 26:00.1 and Matthew Leppert crossed at 26:05.3. 

It marked the eighth time in the past nine years the IUPUI program has brought home hardware, earning five league titles and three runner-up finishes in that span. 

Head coach Justin Roeder's squad will now turn attention to the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, to be held on Friday, Nov. 11, in Terre Haute, Ind.