Across the board, 2024 was a great season for the Hillsdale College cross country program.

On the men's side, the Chargers ran a brilliant race at the 2024 G-MAC Championships to capture their first conference title in nearly 25 years, before posting their best finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional in nearly a decade. The women, meanwhile, had individuals place first and second at the G-MAC Championships on the way to a third place finish as a team.

The goal for Hillsdale entering the 2025 campaign will be to reach those same heights again, and turn a great year into an extended run in title contention, both in the Midwest and in the G-MAC.

Both men's and women's programs will have to weather significant roster attrition to do so, but there's real talent returning the Chargers will look to lean on to stay competitive.

On the men's side, Hillsdale graduates two of its first team All-G-MAC runners in Richie Johnston and Ross Kuhn, but returns three of its scoring five from the G-MAC Championships, headlined by senior Gabriel Phillips, who placed seventh in the G-MAC a year ago and is the second fastest athlete in the conference returning in 2025. The Chargers also bring back second-team All-G-MAC honorees Caleb Youngstedt and Nathaniel Osborne, whose top 20 finishes were critical to Hillsdale capturing the G-MAC crown.

To fill the void created by graduation, the Charger men will look to a sophomore class that could see big time drops after getting a year of training under their belt at the collegiate level. Zach Self, Will Winsor, Daniel Johnson and Thomas Holm all showed promise as freshmen and could build on that foundation on the way to breakout years in 2025. Hillsdale also has solid veterans in Mark Masaka, Rhys Woodard, Noah Gazmin and Emil Schleuter who could play a significant part as well.

Hillsdale's men add three freshmen, and while the jump from 5K races to 8K and 10K competitions involve a steep learning curve, John Richardson, Jefferson Regitz and Henry Thuet could earn a spot in the top seven as well.

One upside for the Chargers is that they're not the only G-MAC team with holes to fill, as all of the top five squads lost multiple top contributors to graduation from 2024. Walsh, third in 2025, has the most returning talent, though Findlay and Tiffin should also be in the mix. The number of graduated athletes in the top 20 from 2024 could signal a big shakeup in the conference race in 2025.

On the women's side, Hillsdale has been on a steady climb over the last few years, and are set to return four of their top seven, led by sophomore Allison Kuzma. The runner-up finisher in 2024 as a freshman, Kuzma also won the 5,000m titles in the G-MAC in both indoor and outdoor track and had an eye-opening third-place finish in NCAA DII in the 10,000m run at the 2025 NCAA DII Outdoor Championships. She'll be one of the favorites to capture the individual title.

Along with Kuzma, Hillsdale returns three more of its top seven runners from the 2024 G-MAC Championships, including two-time second team All-G-MAC honoree Savannah Fraley and fellow junior Eleanor Clark. Hillsdale also brings back senior Anna Roberts, who had a stellar track and field season that included a G-MAC Championship in the 3,000m steeplechase and could be a break-out candidate for the Chargers on the cross country course, as well as Anna's younger sister Megan, a talented competitor. Veterans Whitney Wilkinson, Emilee Santoso and Victoria Stonebraker also return.

The Chargers bring in four freshmen on the women's side, led by Grand Blanc graduate Grace Tykocki, who could be an instant-impact competitor for the Chargers. Caroline Roberts, the younger sister of Anna and Megan, Mavis Banks, and Taylor Klimp all had strong prep careers and will be in the mix for the Chargers as well.

In the women's G-MAC title race, the challenge will be catching defending champion Walsh and runner-up Cedarville, both of whom are returning five or more of their top seven runners. Findlay also lurks as a potential challenger bringing back young talent.

Hillsdale kicks off the 2025 campaign at home on Sept. 5, as the Chargers host an invitational at Hayden Park. The women start at 6 p.m., with the men's race to follow. You can see the full schedule for the Chargers here.