Top-15 Finish Highlights Men's Cross Country Opener

CHANNAHON, IL—NCAA Division I transfer Lenny Baumann didn't waste any time leaving his mark on the Governors State Cross Country program, recording the highest individual finish in team history with a 12th place showing (out of 105 runners) at Fighting Saints Twilight Invitational hosted by St. Francis.

Baumman, who competed at Tennessee-Martin, shattered the school 5K record by nearly three minutes with a time of 15:29.3 in his Jaguar debut. Returning senior Miguel Navarrete completed the Channahon Park Course in 21:24.0 (PR), just ahead of his former soccer teammate Eric Espinoza, who logged 21:30.6 in his first race. Dante Miller (25:49.9) and Daniel Jonna (27:50) rounded out GSU's lineup.

St. Francis (24 points), Chicago (35) and Purdue Northwest (90) earned podium finishes as 11 schools sent runners to the meet. Due to timing constraints, GSU did not record a team score.

"I am most certainly proud of Lenny's run this evening. He hit a mark he wanted and made GSU history, " said GSU Head Coach Kevin Kredens. "He is a great asset to the team in terms of leadership, attitude and respect for the sport. As a team, we're getting better in pockets here and there, but we need to start taking giant steps."