FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The IUPUI men's cross country team opened the 2022 season with a bang, winning the Mastodon Opener on Friday night (Sept. 2) with an impressive 23-point showing, easily outdistancing host Purdue Fort Wayne by nine points. Grant Moon brought home the win in the 5,000m race with a time of 15:33.7, giving first year head coach Justin Roeder a team and individual win in his IUPUI coaching debut. 

Will Clark and Nick Perkins joined Moon among the top-5, placing third and fourth, respectively. Clark spun a time of 15:40.0 and Perkins crossed at 15:48.1. 

"I'm really happy with how the team did today. It was really exciting to see a lot of guys who hadn't raced cross country in an IUPUI jersey before score for us in the race," Moon said. "There were a lot of small wins today and it's going to give us good momentum heading into the rest of the season."

"Everyone has truly invested so much time and energy in their craft this summer," Roeder said of his squad. "I do have to give Grant Moon a huge shout out for securing his first collegiate win. Collegiate wins don't come often, so each one is special."

Matthew Leppert and Alex Alba rounded out IUPUI's scoring five, placing seventh and 11th respectively, just ahead of a fleet of Purdue Fort Wayne runners. Leppert crossed at 15:56.0 and Alba finished at 16:08.7. Matt Mitsch made his IUPUI cross country debut with a time of 16:29.3 and Keith Bye clocked a time of 16:49.5. 

"Other notable performances were Will Clark, Matthew Leppert and Alex Alba. All three of these athletes made huge gains since last season, which is always a welcome sight," Roeder said. "The highlight of the night came from Matt Mitsch, who was finally able to find himself on the starting line. Matt has had terrible luck with a string of setbacks these past three years, so it was a very special moment to see him in an IUPUI jersey racing along with his teammates.

"While we won an individual and team title tonight, I know the team was elated to see Matt have a personal win, allowing him to compete alongside us tonight."

IUPUI entered the season with lofty expectations, having been picked to win the Horizon League title and earning a No. 10 spot in the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Regional polls to start the year. On Friday, the Jaguars looked the part, scoring well despite some key individuals sitting out due to injury. 

The Jagaurs will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 17 when they participate in the John McNichols Invitational, hosted by Indiana State.