ROCHESTER, Mich. — The Oakland Men's and Women's Cross Country teams are set for the #HLXC Championship on Saturday, Oct. 31 in Clinton, Pennsylvania, hosted by Robert Morris. The women's 6k begins with an 11 a.m. shotgun, followed by the men's 8k race at 12 p.m. ET.
"We're on a little bit of a roll right now, we've got some good momentum and that's what you hope for going into the championship season," said head coach Paul Rice. "If we could get in the top three, that would be a great weekend for us. On the women's side, Youngstown and Robert Morris are up there to beat. For the men, IU Indy and Youngstown are always in the mix. As long as we go out there and put out our best performances, the results will take care of themselves. Leave it on the course and see what happens."
Oakland enters the championship meet looking to build on a strong 2025 postseason, when the Golden Grizzlies placed on the podium in both races. The men finished runner-up with 92 points, their best Horizon League finish since 2019, while the women took third with 79 points. Wesley Hollowell led the men with a seventh-place finish in 24:04.7, followed by Anthony Hancock in eighth and Tristan Brandenburg in 14th, while Eliza Bush paced the women with a fourth-place finish in 20:59.1 to earn Horizon League Freshman of the Year honors.
On the women's side, sophomore Eliza Bush returned after earning 2025 Horizon League Freshman of the Year and First Team All-League honors, and has once again paced the Golden Grizzlies in each of their four meets this season. Bush opened the year with a 17:37.07 at the Joe Piane Invitational before posting a season-best 21:15.90 in the 6K at the Bradley Pink Invitational. Courtney Bovair, Makenna Scott, Genavieve Kushner-Lopez, Anne May and Ava Alicandro have also played key roles throughout the season, helping Oakland finish eighth at Joe Piane and 16th at Bradley.
The Golden Grizzly men lost their top three finishers from last year's championship lineup, including First Team All-League selections Wesley Hollowell and Anthony Hancock, but have seen freshman Brody Karg emerge as a consistent leader in his first collegiate season. Karg has paced Oakland in all four meets, including a 24:39.8 at the Joe Piane Invitational and a season-best 24:24.30 at the Bradley Pink Invitational. Freshman Gabe Litzner has also emerged as a key contributor, posting a 25:06.9 at Joe Piane and 24:58.0 at Bradley, while Ethan Sandula, Max Houvener and Collin Farmer have consistently rounded out the scoring group. Oakland finished 13th at Joe Piane and 17th at Bradley in its final two meets before the Horizon League Championship.
Action in Clinton kicks off at 11 a.m. ET with live timing available HERE.
How to Follow Oakland Cross Country/Track and Field: For complete information on Oakland Cross Country/Track and Field teams, follow the team on X at @OaklandTrackXC. The team is also on Instagram.
