The men's cross country team made its season debut on a humid, summer-like day at the Forest Akers Golf Course in East Lansing as part of the Spartan Invitational.
No official team scores were immediately released from the meet, which included programs like host Michigan State, Bowling Green, Grand Valley State, Ashland, Eastern Michigan and Saginaw Valley State.
Nathan Jones was the Chargers' top runner, placing 49th overall and first on the team with a time of 26:36.3 on the 8K course. Next on the team was freshman Mark Miller, who ran a 26:58 in his collegiate debut for Hillsdale.
Veteran Miles Garn was the team's No. 3 runner, finishing 74th with a time of 27:18.7. Freshman Morgan Morrison was fourth on the team and 76th overall with a 27:22.
"Today we struggled a little bit," said Charger head coach Andrew Towne. "We need to get healthy and fix up some mistakes. Today was a good learning experience as we prepare for Louisville."
Hillsdale next competes at the Greater Louisville Classic on Sept. 30.