Cougars Open Season at Twilight Invite
MARION, Ind. - The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) cross country teams opened the 2025 season at the Twilight Invite hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University on Friday, September 5.
The men's team finished in 12th place out of 20 total teams.
Freshman Festus Kurgat led the Cougars with the third-fastest time in school history, finishing 19th with a time of 25:16.50. Fellow freshman Zane Strydom followed closely behind, finishing the race in 24th place with a Saint Francis top-10 time of 25:21.20. Taylor Stubbins finished next with another SF top-10 time of 26:16.30, while Emmanuel Langat crossed the finish line next for the Cougars at 26:56.90.
"Both the men's and women's teams competed well against a very strong field," said Head Coach Brendon Moody. "We use this early-season meet as a good benchmark for the work that we've done up to this point and for the work that needs to be done to get us to where we need to be in November."
Up next, SF cross country will compete at the National Catholic Championship on the campus of Notre Dame University on Friday, September 19.
Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs through the College of Health Sciences and the College of Arts, Sciences, and Business. In addition to its traditional programs, Saint Francis designs focused curricula for working adults in Fort Wayne, Crown Point, Lafayette and online. Saint Francis Downtown houses the music technology program while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. The University of Saint Francis, recognized as an NAIA Five-Star Champion of Character institution, has 21 athletic programs boasting two individual and four team NAIA national championships. Approximately 1,800 students from a broad geographic region attend Saint Francis.
