Cross Country | 10/4/2025 12:18:00 AM

Powell, Ohio - The Oberlin College cross country teams traveled to Powell, Ohio for a twilight invitational this evening. With conference teams such as Denison, Kenyon, and Ohio Wesleyan in the mix, today's meet was a preview of the competition of the upcoming conference race. 

The Oberlin men's team began their race in balmy temperatures, a noticeable difference from two weeks ago at Rochester. The team was led out of the gate by Liam Newman, who moved up over the course of the eight kilometers and took fourth overall with a 26:03, marking a personal best for the fourth-year. The fourth-year was trailed by first-year Cooper Tanski, who closed in a 26:42 for 15th. Following Tanski was third-year Will Gordon, who battled his way into 32nd place and crossed the line with a time of 27:25. Behind Gordon was second-year Toby Wells-Spackman, who opened hard and finished 102nd with a personal best of 28:34.

Wells-Spackman was followed by fellow second-years Daniel Beyda, Greydan Villano, and Grant Hirsch, who finished 123rd, 129th, and 135th with times of 29:16, 29:24, and 29:35, respectively. Hirsch was trailed closely by first-year Casey Smothers, who ran a personal-best time of 29:37 and took 140th. Finishing next for the Crimson and Gold first-year Simon Swai took 168th and ran a 15-second personal best, crossing the line in 31:10. Classmate Tully Valentine-Maher followed Swai through the line, taking 184th with a time of 32:49.

The women's team had another string of personal bests, taking fifth overall. Of the women's team members who ran this course last year, most beat that time today. Fourth-year Amber Borofsky, third-year Char Purcell, and second-year Samantha Soto led the women's team with an aggressive start, setting the team up well against the other competitors. Borofsky crossed the line in 22nd place with a time of 23:54, a six-second personal record from last year. Purcell finished close behind in 26th place with a time of 24:06, a 16-second personal best, and a 72-second personal record from this course last year.

First-year Chelsea Larsen continuously moved up throughout the race, finishing in 30th with a 27-second personal record for 24:16. Soto finished in 42nd with a time of 24:27, 65 seconds faster than her time on this course last year. Fourth-year Ella Wozek finished in 53rd with a time of 24:44. Second-year Solana Pearl finished close behind Wozek in 58th with a time of 24:53, a 12-second personal best and a 63-second improvement on this course from last year. First-year Sofia Picucci crossed the line in 119th with a time of 28:39 followed by fourth-year Serafina Yan who finished in 123rd with a time of 29:17. First-year June Essinger and fourth-year Celia Vaughn crossed the line shortly after Yan in 125th and 126th with times of 29:47 and 30:01, with Vaughn claiming a 14-second personal record. 

The Crimson and Gold will host the Oberlin Inter-Regional Rumble for the first time in three years on Saturday, October 18. The women's varsity race is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., followed by the men's varsity race at 11:15 a.m. Women's and men's open races will be offered for runners outside of the top-10 at 12 p.m. and 12:45 p.m., respectively. 

Keep up with the Crimson and Gold on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and watch every home game on the Oberlin Sports Network online or on Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV.