By: Julia Haber ~Guest Writer~

Xavier’s cross country team started its season on a high note on Saturday, Sept. 3, in West Chester, Ohio. The men’s and women’s teams competed at the Queen City Invitational, where the men placed third overall and the women finished fifth of the 13 teams that competed.

The men’s side was led by sophomore Grayson Jenkins, as he finished the 6k race in eighth place with a time of 18:43.

“Grayson ran really well and executed his race plan perfectly,” head coach Ryan Orner said.

Following Jenkins was junior Garrett Knapik finishing 13th and sophomore Mason Moore finishing 20th out of 135 men.

The women’s team did not find as much success as the men, due in part to the absence of some key members of the team because of illness.

The absence of upperclassmen at the meet offered an opportunity for some new faces to get more experience. Freshman Bernadette Prichard led the team with her 46th place finish, running her 6k with a time of 24:00.

Coach Orner thinks that Prichard is going to make a significant impact during her time at Xavier.

Finishing in the 58th spot out of 138 women was junior Devi Jagadesan, followed by sophomore Grace Barden.

The teams have four remaining meets before the Big East championships in October. Their next meet is the National Catholic Championship on Sept. 16 in South Bend, Ind.