ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The Olivet Nazarene University men's and women's cross country teams opened their 2025 campaigns with a solid showing at the Lewis Early Bird Friday night at the Lewis Cross County Course.

Heidi Heldt led the women with a runner-up finish in the 4km event, bolting to a 14:45.26 to place second in the 78-runner field. Isabella Wojciechowski nearly cracked the top 10, placing 13th with a time of 15:29.53. Violet Montgomery and Claire Carter finished consecutively at 20th and 21st, respectively, while Mackenzie Smith rounded out the Tiger scoring in 28th.

The ONU women totaled 56 points to finish runner-up in the seven-team event. The University of Chicago took the team crown with 19 points.

ONU newcomer Fisher Rinkenberger led the charge for the Purple & Yellow Gold in the men's 6km race. The freshman from Washington, Ill., ripped off a 19:43.02 to place 14th in the 100-runner field. Levi Johnson also finished under the 20-minute threshold, clocking in at 19:53.19 to place 17th.

Austin Rush, Joey Puccillo, and Carson Lehman all finished within 20 seconds of each other to cap the Tiger scoring. Rush placed 29th at 20:19.67, Puccillo finished 31st at 20:29.47, and Lehman 34th at 20:39.05.

The Tigers as a team finished with 89 points to place third among nine teams. The University of Chicago also took the men's title with 18 points.

ONU will next host the Midwest Classic at the Aspen Ridge Golf Course on Friday, Sept. 19.

--ONU—

*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu