The Hillsdale College men's cross country team kicked off the 2023 season in successful fashion on Friday, putting up a strong performance in the season-opening Diemer Classic in Grand Rapids.
Competing against host Calvin University and Grand Rapids Community College, the Chargers took first place with strong pack running, placing four runners in the top five in the event on the way to the victory.
Leading the way in the 5K race was junior Alex Mitchell, who was an All-G-MAC honoree for the Chargers a year ago. Mitchell picked up where he left off in 2022, sticking with the lead pack for the entire race and outkicking the competition to win in 15:15.
His teammates were close behind, as Hillsdale took third, fourth and fifth place as well. Junior Micah Vanderkooi placed third in 15:20 for the Chargers, junior Ross Kuhn took fourth in 15:25, and junior Richie Johnston placed fifth in 15:26.
Junior Donny McArdle placed 12th in 15:46 to complete Hillsdale's scoring quintet and seal the victory for Hillsdale.
Freshman Caleb Youngstedt placed 15th in 16:10 in his first collegiate cross country race as well for the Chargers, and senior Sean Hoeft took 16th in 16:11.
It's an encouraging start for Hillsdale to a season where the Chargers hope to improve on a fourth-place finish in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference a year ago, but there's a lot of work to be done before championship season begins in October. The Chargers next travel to metro Detroit on Sept. 15 for the Warrior Classic hosted by Wayne State University, and a bigger test with several strong Midwest Region schools expected to attend.