The Case Western Reserve University men's cross country team will look to build on a successful campaign last year and make its return to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2022 when the squad takes to the course to begin its 2025 season in late August.
CWRU finished sixth at the University Athletic Association Championship and fourth at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship last year. Aidan Nathan, who graduated at the end of the academic year, qualified individually for the NCAA Championships (becoming the first Spartan to do so since 2017) and was the team's top finisher in each of the seven races he competed in. Nathan (along with Lauren Iagnemma on the women's side) extended CWRU's streak to 21 consecutive years with at least one runner representing the University at the NCAA Championships.
The Spartans appear ready to overcome the loss of Nathan with several all-region runners among the 17 total returners from last year's team. Junior Jacob Slater bounced back after missing the first two meets of the season to turn in a strong performance at NCAA Regionals, where he was the team's second finisher and placed 27th overall to claim All-Region recognition. Sophomore Donovan Crowley, who earned UAA Rookie of the Year honors in 2024, was 30th at the regional meet to secure all-region honors as well, while sophomore Adam Esa placed 36th at the event to miss out on all-region acclaim by just one spot.
Graduate student Mike Lombardi, who was the team's eighth finisher at the UAA Championships and among the top-seven finishers on the squad in four of the five races he competed in, will add further big-meet experience to the Spartans after deciding to return for another year. Junior Owen Schessler will also look to see his role increase this year after placing among the team's top-seven finishers three times, including a fifth-place finish among Spartans at the Ohio Wesleyan Invitational.
Other returners from last year's team include seniors Matias Facchinato-Sitja, Solomon Greene, and Nathan Webb, juniors Praveen Sureshkumar and Angel Zeferino, and sophomores Brendan Bradish, Adam Joseph, Will Larson, Paul Salah, Lucas Siepser, Eli Stodard, and George Wood-Leness.
Adding to the roster are 13 incoming athletes who will look to make an impact during their initial year on the squad, including first-years Jack Andrews, Lowell Copps, Thijs Doot, Ryan Gensler, Tyler Ginther, Caleb Guarino, Chance Krenzer, Devin Montileone, Jacob Porter, Kian Schneeweis, Austin Schneidler, and Jay Woodhouse, and sophomore Pranav Khadkikar.
The Spartans will open their 2025 campaign with the annual Bill Sudeck Invitational at the University Farm in Hunting Valley, Ohio, on August 29, followed by the Alumni Meet on September 13, also at the University Farm. CWRU will then split its squad the following weekend, giving part of the team a preview of the NCAA Championship course at the Pre-National Meet in Spartanburg, South Carolina, on September 20, with the rest of the team competing the previous day at the All-Ohio Classic in Cedarville, Ohio. CWRU will have two additional meets before the start of its championship season, traveling to New Concord, Ohio, for the Daniel Mullen Memorial Invitational and to Oberlin, Ohio, for the Oberlin Inter-Regional Rumble.
CWRU will begin the final portion of its schedule on November 1 with the top 10 competitors on the team in action at the UAA Championships, hosted by WashU in Edwardsville, Illinois. After the Wooster 5K Twilight Challenge on November 8, the Spartans will send their top-seven runners to the NCAA Great Lakes Regional at Tom Sawyer State Park on November 15, as the team will aim to qualify for the NCAA Championships the following weekend.
Should CWRU qualify, either individually or as a team, the squad will make the trip to the NCAA Championship in Spartanburg the following weekend.
