FAIRBORN, Ohio - The IUPUI men's cross country team collected a runner-up finish at the 2023 Horizon League Championships on Saturday (Oct. 28), finishing second to only a strong Youngstown State squad at Fairborn Community Park. Andrew Whitinger and Nate Kaiser led the Jaguars, finishing fourth and fifth respectively, to earn First Team All-Horizon League honors. 

Nick Perkins and Mitchell Rans collected second team honors by placing tenth and 13th among the 107 runner field. 

Youngstown State topped the team scoring with 31 points while IUPUI was second with 47 points, easily outdistancing third-place Oakland's 70.

It was expected to be a two team race from the opening gun with the Jaguars and YSU the prohibitive favorites. Kaiser moved comfortably to the front early in the race along with Northern Kentucky's Natnael Weldemichael. However, the YSU duo of Hunter Christopher and Ryan Meadows made their move with roughly 2,000 meters remaining, ensuring the top two finishes. Oakland's Yami Albrecht followed to claim the No. 3 finish while Whitinger and Kaiser were next in line. 

YSU finished strong, moving up late to fend off a deep IUPUI roster that had seven finishers among the top 21 runners. 

Whitinger ran a time of 24:21.6 and Kaiser closed at 24:23.3. Perkins ran a time of 24:39.7 and Rans was brilliant, finishing at 24:43.2. Redshirt freshman Deion Guise just missed an all-league berth, placing 15th at 24:48.3 and Eric Petersen was No. 18 at 24:53.2. Matt Mitsch was next in line at 24:53.6 and Jack Acton spun a time of 24:54.4. 

Sophomore Will Clark notched a time of 25:18.5 to place 37th and IUPUI's last three finishers crossed in succession as Mitchell Gits was 41st, Grant Moon was 42nd and Wilson Whicker was 43rd. 

Six Jaguars recorded new personal bests and virtually every entry in the lineup registered season best times. 

IUPUI will compete in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional in Madison, Wisc., on Nov. 10.