Southern Illinois University
Fighting Illini Open
Recap | Cross Country wraps opener at Illinois
08/29/2025 | 5:27:00 | Cross Country
SAVOY, Ill. - The Southern Illinois Cross Country team competed in Savoy, Ill., today in their season-opening meet, with both the men's and women's teams finishing sixth in their respective races.Â
Head Coach Angelina Ramos was pleased with her team's performance in their first meet.Â
"We talk about how we are one team, one goal, and great teams keep a sub-45-second pack differential from #1-5 and close to 90 seconds from numbers one through eight. It's ok if the rank mixes around, but we have to step up if another of our teammates is having an off day. Today, the men's pack differential was 38 seconds from first to eighth. They were 10 points away from beating the next Missouri Valley Conference foe in the field, and we look to tighten this pack in training even further these next few weeks," Ramos said.Â
In the women's 4K race, freshman Savanna Franzen led the way for the Salukis, finishing in 37th place with a time of 14:47.7.
A trio of Salukis, Hannah Meiser, Audrey Bolles and Riley Linville, finished 40-42nd. Meiser completed the course in 14:58.2, Boles in 15:00.6 and Linville in 15:03.4.
Ellary Blakey finished 46th in 15:16.9 and was followed by Ally Niefeldt (15:49.4) and Brodie Denny (16:11.3).Â
"The women had a 29-second pack differential number one through five, and 84-second pack differential number one through seven today. Only five seconds separated number two through four. (Meiser, Bolles, Linville) - that's exciting given that Hannah led the team by 50+ seconds a year ago. Freshman Savanna Franzen finished as the front point scorer for the Salukis today, as she raced in her backyard, hailing from Ogden, Illinois and running for St. Joseph High School. Another freshman, Ellary Blakey, finished in the top five for the Salukis," Ramos said.Â
The men's 6K started shortly after the women's race concluded. The top Dawg, Will Foltz, finished in 21st in 18:22.0, narrowly edging out fellow sophomore Ben Chance, who finished in 22nd in 18:22:6.Â
Senior Weston Jokerst crossed the finish in 36th in 18:54.00, followed by Calen George (41st, 19:01.6), Kyle Kato (51st, 19:29.7), Drew Twyman (53rd, 19:43.9) and Parker Davidson (56th, 19:56.2).Â
"Ben Chance was in a hospital bed after a car accident in March, and 5 months later, he led the charge today for a good chunk of the men's race, earning a 5k personal record en route, and opening at a 4:52 mile pace this year versus last year's opener at 5:10," Ramos said. Â
"Will Foltz ran patient and calculated, with a strong move on the last 1k, urging Ben to hang on and come with him. They finished less than a second apart from one another. Will also improved last year's 5:04 mile pace in the season opener compared to today's 4:52 mile pace. Freshman Brady Faulkner and Calen George respectfully held their own against collegiate competition at their longest ever race distance debut, contributing to the Salukis' top five point scoring today," Ramos said.
UP NEXT
The Salukis will be back in action on September 19 in Carbondale when they host the Oscar Moore Invitational.
For the latest updates on the Salukis, follow the team on X (@SalukiTrackXC), Instagram (@SIUTrackXC) and Facebook (@SalukiTrackandField).
Players Mentioned
