Holland Reporter

Grand Valley State University's cross country teams achieved first place finishes at the 20th annual Knight Invitational, held at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The women's team secured gold with a total of 26 points, while the men's team finished with 22 points.

The event began with the women's 6000-meter collegiate race at 10 a.m. Sinead Noonan, competing in her second race for Grand Valley State, placed third and set a personal record with a time of 23:03.3. Shaela Elert followed closely in fourth place at 23:12.3 during her collegiate debut. Carly Elkin finished sixth, also setting a personal best at 23:18.5. Additional team members Mackenzie Sellenraad (10th), Grace Oberski (13th), and Mia Williams (14th) all recorded personal-best times in the event.

The men's 8000-meter collegiate race started at 10:45 a.m. Freshman Evan Nosek led the Lakers by finishing third with a time of 25:44.8. Kilian Whalen came in fifth at 25:54.3, and teammates Dylan Esser, Ian Fowler, Colin Hanson, and Justin Hoffman crossed together to claim eighth through eleventh places respectively. Nosek, Whalen, and Fowler were among several athletes making their collegiate debuts for Grand Valley State.

Looking ahead, the Lakers have two more races before the GLIAC Cross Country Championships on October 25, 2025. Some team members will compete next at the Muskegon Jayhawk Invite on October 11 in Muskegon and then at the Bradley Pink Classic on October 17 in Peoria, Illinois. Updates about these events will be posted on gvsulakers.com as more information becomes available.