Bethany, W.Va. – The West Liberty University men's cross country team opened its 2025 campaign in impressive fashion, rolling to the team title at the Bethany Invitational on Saturday morning.

The Hilltoppers scored just 22 points to outdistance Saint Vincent (56) and Franciscan (72) in the 8K meet. Their average time of 27:13.4 and a tight spread of 1:22 between their top five runners highlighted the victory.

Freshman Joshua Gill paced the Black and Gold with a winning time of 26:37.0, securing the individual title in his collegiate debut. Senior Jasper Brown was close behind in second place at 26:43.3, while fellow senior Francis Toohey claimed third in 26:56.7, giving West Liberty a 1-2-3 sweep at the front of the pack.

Freshman Finlay Lorimer added a seventh-place finish in 27:50.0, and classmate Michael Niggemyer rounded out the scoring five in ninth at 27:59.7. Senior Robert Allen (11th, 28:23.7) and sophomore Zachary Workman (12th, 28:26.7) provided depth to a deep Hilltopper lineup.

In the dual meet standings, West Liberty posted a perfect 5-0 record, defeating every other team in the field. Saint Vincent finished 4-1, Franciscan went 3-2, Lawrence Tech was 2-3, Wheeling 1-4, and Waynesburg 0-5.

The Hilltoppers will return to action on October 4th at the Louisville Invitational.