ROCHESTER, Mich. – Oakland Cross Country returns to the course this week on Friday, Sept. 18, traveling to Kalamazoo for the George Dales Invite hosted by Western Michigan. 

The Golden Grizzlies enter the meet following a strong season-opening performance at the Golden Grizzlies Open, where sophomore Eliza Bush repeated as the women's individual champion, leading an Oakland sweep of the top five. Makenna Scott, Genavieve Kushner-Lopez, Sophy Skeels and Ava Alicandro followed Bush across the finish line, while freshman Brody Karg paced the men's team with a second-place finish. Collin Farmer, Gabe Litzner, Moises Salazar Jr., and Bryce Nowik also finished inside the top eight. 

Oakland will look to carry that momentum into a meet where it found success last season. In 2025, the Golden Grizzlies men's team captured the George Dales Invite title, led by Wesley Hollowell's second-place finish. Bush also continued her standout freshman campaign on the women's side, finishing second in the 6K with a time of 21:12.3.

In the Under Armour #HLXC Preseason Poll, both teams were selected in the top 5 in the Horizon League. The women were selected to finish second this season, as the men were voted third place by the league's head coaches.

Live stats for this weekend's meet in Kalamazoo can be found 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.