Noel Black lives on the podium. The third-year Lake Superior State Women's Cross Country runner finished second at Saturday's Adrian College Heritage Classic. First-year runner Bailey Wenzlick finished 10th as the Lakers took fourth place in their first 6K race of the season.

For the Men's Cross Country team, the Lakers took sixth, powered by a sixth place finish from third year runner Gavin Guggemos. LSSU raced at the 8K distance for the first time this season on a perfect day in Adrian, MI.

"We were very happy with the conditions," stated Laker Head Coach Matt Stith. "It was a well-maintained course, pretty flat and conducive to good times. It really suited what we were looking for at this point of the season for a competitive environment. So we were very pleased with the event overall.

Black ran a time of 22:49.5, the fifth-best recorded time in Laker history at the 6K distance. Her personal best, at the 2025 GLIAC Championships, ranks fourth on LSSU's all-time performance list.

"It was another fine effort by Noel," said Stith. "She executed the plan we had talked about before the race, pretty much to perfection. She ran the second half of the race faster than the first half, which is obviously challenging to do and is reflective of how she loves the work and the competition."

Wenzlick raced the 6K collegiate distance for the first time and finished at 24:00.0. The first-year runner has drawn rave reviews from her coach through her first two weekends of collegiate competition, after posting a time of 19:34.0 at the 5K distance to open the season at the Northwood Invitational two weeks ago.

"She handled it like a pro," Stith noted. "She didn't let herself get out faster than she was ready to handle, but also didn't hang back and run timid. To have a first year runner show that kind of maturity in competition is outstanding."

Second-year Lilly Binger and third-year Izzy Yeoman also ran strong for LSSU. Binger took 23rd at 24:18.5, while Yeoman finished 24th at 24:26.1.

"Lilly and Izzy ran together for the whole race and worked together as teammates helping each other. That contributed to both of them having really solid races."

On the men's side, just 30 seconds separated fourth place from 16th. Guggemos finished at the top of that large pack, tallying a final 8K time of 26:40.3. The third-year runner continued his excellent start to the season.

"Gavin did a terrific job today of pacing his race well. He's feeling very strong right now and very fit for this point of the season. It was really great for him to be in a good competitive space today and get a nice result. He ran a really solid pace."

Stith praised first-year runners Jack Capes - who placed 18th - and Daniel Bowerman as well. 

"Daniel Bowerman and Jack Capes are super impressive as newcomers to our program. They both had really nice, solid, even-paced races today and were even competitive to pass people in the chute."

Fourth-year Gary Haight broke his personal best in the 8K by over a minute, posting a time of 29:55.5. 

Overall, Stith was overjoyed with the results at the Lakers' second meet of the season. With Black posting outstanding times before the training cycle ramps up for the GLIAC Championships, Guggemos regularly leading the pack and others posting regular quality performances, the Lakers have started the 2026 campaign in an excellent position.

"We expect this to be a really good year for our men and our women," added Stith. "Pick a person and we had really good results today."

The Lakers compete next at the Lucian Rosa Invitational, hosted by Wisconsin Parkside in two weeks time. Follow the team all season long on the new Lake Superior State Lakers app, now available on the App Store and Google Play.