Against some of the toughest competition the Hillsdale College men's cross country team might face all season, the Chargers acquitted themselves well at the MSU Spartan Invitational in East Lansing on Friday.

The Chargers placed eighth out of 16 teams, finishing behind six Big Ten programs (including champion and host Michigan State), a Big 12 program (Cincinnati) and the fourth-ranked team in NCAA Division II, Grand Valley State, while besting all other opponents.

Senior Gabriel Phillips led the way and continued an excellent start to the season for the Chargers, placing 33rd overall in a time of 24:37.4, a personal best and the fastest 8K time by a Hillsdale men's cross country runner since All-American Joey Humes in 2019. The time marks Phillips as a legitimate contender for the G-MAC crown in late October if he continues to improve.

Along with Phillips, four Hillsdale runners finished in the top 100 of the race. Junior Caleb Youngstedt placed 92nd in a time of 25:37.8, and he was followed closely by senior Nathaniel Osborne, who took 97th in 25:45.7, and freshman John Richardson, who ran an impressive 25:46.2 in his first collegiate 8K. Fellow freshman Jefferson Regitz also posted an impressive time for the Chargers in his first 8K, finishing in 26:22.8 to place 121st and round out Hillsdale's scoring finishers.

Sophomore Zach Self placed 122nd, right behind Regitz, in 26:24.6, for the Chargers, while fellow sophomore Will Winsor finished 136th in 26:45.9 as well. Both Self and Winsor ran new 8K personal bests at the Spartan Invitational.

Hillsdale is next in action on Friday, Sept. 26 at the Siena Heights Invitational in nearby Adrian, before heading to Kentucky for the prestigious Louisville Classic on Oct. 4.