Cross Country | 9/20/2025 4:24:00 PM

Rochester, New York - The Oberlin College cross country teams traveled to Rochester, New York, this weekend to compete in the Yellowjacket Invitational, their third race of the 2025 season. With temperatures hovering around a crisp 60 degrees, both teams delivered many personal bests in these ideal running conditions. 

"Both teams ran really well today, definitely the best team performance of the season so far and more athletes put together complete, strong races," Head Coach Izzy Alexander remarks. "I am thrilled for Will for his standout race, placing inside the top 20 in such a competitive field was a big step forward for him." 

The Oberlin men's team took to the course first, with Will Gordon leading the Oberlin pack and crossing the line in 19th with a time of 26:03. This mark was a personal best for the third-year and an impressive two-minute and twenty-second cut from his performance last week at Otterbein. Liam Newman followed Gordon into the chute, taking 35th with a time of 26:29, a personal best for the fourth-year. Negative splitting his last 2k and finishing with a sprint through the chute, first-year Cooper Tanski ran his new personal best of 26:38, taking 47th. Right on Tanski's heels, first-year Ryan Faris placed 51st and ran 26:41 for a personal best. Second-year Grant Hirsch took 141st place with a time of 28:04. 

Fellow second-year Toby Wells-Spackman moved through the pack throughout the race and finished 178th with a personal best of 28:51. Wells-Spackman was followed by classmate Greydan Villano, who took 209th and crossed the line with a personal best of 29:28. First-year Casey Smothers followed Villano through the line to place 218th in 29:44. 

Coming off an injury, second-year Daniel Beyda opened his season with a 29:57 and took 228th. Tully Valentine-Maher crossed the finish line with a staggering five-minute personal best of 30:42, placing 243rd. The first-year was followed directly by fourth-year Charlie Endres, who also ran 30:42 and took 244th. Third-year Samuel Mortensen ran his first race in a year and opened in a 31:14 with a placement of 258th. Mortensen was followed by first-year Simon Swai, who finished in 32:08 and took 274th. 

The women's team raced second this morning. They began the race at 11 a.m. with cool temperatures and high spirits. Second-year Samantha Soto, third-year Char Purcell, and fourth-year Amber Borofsky led from the gun. Borofsky and Purcell continued to push through the finish with a season best of 24:14 from Borofsky for 55th. Purcell, for her part, ran a 27-second personal best of 24:22, landing her 61st. First-year Chelsea Larsen continued to move up throughout the race, finishing in 76th, with a personal record of 24:43, a 69-second personal best. 

Soto crossed the line in 83rd with a time of 25:03. Second-year Solana Pearl finished in 87th with a personal best of 25:07, and a 46-second improvement from Otterbein. Next to cross the line was first-year Mirabel Adams with a time of 25:25 in 108th place. Fourth-year Ella Wozek finished in 148th place with a season-best time of 26:19. First-year Sofia Picucci finished in 200th and ran a 68-second personal best of 28:24. First-year June Essinger finished in 210th, with a time of 29:00, a 19-second personal best. 

Celia Vaughn crossed the line in 225th with a time of 30:15, marking a 74-second personal best for the fourth-year on her birthday. Fourth-year Serafina Yan rounded out the women's team in 228th with a time of 30:20. 

The Crimson and Gold will return to action on Friday, October 3, at the Ohio Wesleyan Invitational for an evening meet. The women's race is set to begin at 6 p.m., followed by the men's race at 6:45 p.m. 

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