SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Spartans opened the 2026 cross country season with strong performances on both the men's and women's sides, as both teams finished second overall at the season-opening meet hosted by the University of Illinois Springfield. The men's team also claimed the individual champion in the 5K.

The women's 5K kicked off the evening for the Spartans, led by junior Julia Wharton, who finished third overall with a time of 19:35.96. Underclassmen Kailey Lawrence and Isabella Aimonette also cracked the top 10, finishing ninth and 10th, respectively. The pair nearly crossed the finish line together, recording times of 20:18.15 and 20:19.47.

As a team, the Spartans finished second with 59 points, trailing only host University of Illinois Springfield.

On the men's side, freshman Wade Patten made an immediate impact in his collegiate debut, winning the men's 5K out of 88 competitors with a time of 15:53.00. The Parkway West High School product finished five seconds ahead of the next runner.

Patten credited his training and the encouragement from head coach Trey Peugeot during the final stretch of the race. "Near the end of the race it started getting pretty tough, and then Coach Trey yelled, 'Two more minutes.' I knew I could go the two minutes just like we do in practice."

The Spartans continued to build on Patten's performance, with older brother Grant Patten crossing the finish line eighth with a time of 16:06.95.

The men's team totaled 54 points to secure second place overall, finishing behind host University of Illinois Springfield.

The Spartans return to action on Friday, Sept. 18, at the SIUE Cougar Challenge in Edwardsville, Ill.