WOOSTER, Ohio – Sophomore Will Callender convincingly won The College of Wooster cross country team's annual non-scoring Twilight 5K Challenge, while senior Isabelle Hoover held off the closest competitor for her third-career win at the Friday night under-the-lights meet at John P. Papp Stadium.

Callender's 15:34.0 rated :07.3 faster than runner-up Arjun Thilairajah from Case Western Reserve University. Fellow sophomore Ben Nichols' 15:51.1 gave the Fighting Scots two of the top-three placers on the men's side.

Sophomore Drew Robertson's 16:06.3 ranked sixth, and junior Duncan Hardy claimed the Scots' fourth position with the 16th-place time of 16:50.5.

Junior Mitch Ecklund's 17:14.8 was 21st in the field, first-year Zane DeMercurio checked in at 17:42.6 (23rd-place) and first-year Spencer DeHart went 18:19.4, the 26th-fastest time in the field.

Hoover's 18:34.2 edged out unattached Anna Scott's 18:35.5 for the women's title. Hoover previously won the meet in 2018 and 2019.

Sophomore Elise Greenwald's 21:19.9 was next among Wooster's entries, and that was the 14th-fastest time in the field. Classmates Julianna Fiori and Isabelle Dwyer claimed top-20 finishes with times of 21:52.4 and 22:10.1, respectively, clips that were 19th and 20th in the field.

Sophomore Jessie Breth went 22:27.4 for a 22nd-place finish, senior Kira Boyce's 23:17.7 was 23rd, and sophomore Lily Baker rounded out the top-seven with the 24th-place time of 23:34.9.

Next, Wooster competes at the NCAA Div. III Regional Championships on Saturday, November 12 in Holland, Michigan. The meet starts at 11 a.m.

Photo by Anna Russell '23