DUNDAS, Ont. – The Western Mustangs men's and women's cross country teams delivered solid performances at the Marauder Bayfront Open on October 16, with the men's team finishing fourth and the women's team placing fifth in the university 8 km races.

Competing against a strong university field, both teams demonstrated their depth, with several Mustangs finishing among the top competitors in their respective races.

Men's Team Finishes Fourth
The Mustangs men placed fourth overall with 88 points, led by Tom Boers, who crossed the finish line in 24:27.5 to place 10th overall. Kirk Hallman followed closely in 13th place in 24:33.2, giving Western two runners inside the top 15.

Satveer Gill continued the team's strong front-end performance, finishing 19th in 24:38.6, while Eitan Garfin-Udaskinplaced 27th in 24:52.4. Matt Markson rounded out Western's scoring five, finishing 37th in 25:08.1.

The Mustangs also received contributions from Owen Parkes (45th, 25:19.8), Ethan Cannon (54th, 25:30.7), Skyler Grossi (66th, 25:53.3), Will Greenfield (90th, 26:34.2), Cecil Jenkins (96th, 26:40.4) and Myles Nazarewicz (110th, 27:04.7). 

Women's Team Places Fifth
The Mustangs women finished fifth overall with 143 points, led by Sarah Luedke, who placed 23rd in 29:27.3. Juliana Hendrikx followed closely in 24th place, crossing the line in 29:28.7, giving Western two runners inside the top 25.

Brooke Power finished 32nd in 29:47.1, followed by Julie Deboer in 33rd in 29:48.0. Zaira Chaudhry completed Western's scoring five, placing 37th in 29:56.6.
The Mustangs also had several strong performances throughout the field, with Nora Treleaven (39th, 30:00.0), Charlotte Piscione (43rd, 30:11.2), Veronica Boyle (45th, 30:15.4), Reagan Atkinson (46th, 30:17.7), Claire Hickey (48th, 30:28.7), Clara Fava (49th, 30:31.1), Avery Norland (56th, 30:49.4), Lucy Stephenson (72nd, 31:29.3), Alexandra Podstreleny(74th, 31:32.1) and Laura Peters (79th, 31:42.2) all contributing to the team's depth. 

Full results: https://live.pttiming.com/xc-ptt.html?mid=9174

Looking Ahead
With the championship portion of the season approaching, the Marauder Bayfront Open provided another valuable opportunity for the Mustangs to test themselves against university competition and continue building toward the OUA and U SPORTS championships.

Both teams will look to build on their performances as they prepare for the final races of the season.