Green Bay, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse men's cross country team opened its 2025 season with a third-place finish at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix Open Saturday at the Phoenix Alumni Cross Country Course at Shorewood Park.

The Eagles finished with 77.0 team points while UW-Stevens Point won the title with 46.0. UW-Green Bay was second with 66.0. A total of nine teams competed.

UWL had five runners place in the top-20 on Saturday, including Thomas Menefee finishing a team-best 11^th (25:49.1). Declan Gregg placed 16^th (25:53.4) while Isaac Ewing was 17^th (25:56.1), Aidan Manning 18^th (25:56.7) and Owen Layton 20^th (25:59.4).

The Eagles' Layne Aurit finished 24^th (26:04.7) with Aiden Jakubic 27^th (26:08.4). Nash Merklein was 31^st (26:12.0), Logan Salzmann 32^nd (26:12.3), Jayden Sales 33^rd (26:15.5), Brady Norman 37^th (26:19.9), Chase Altergott 43^rd (26:30.9), Mitch Garcia 55^th (26:57.8) and Owen Pope 66^th (27:16.5).

Noah Jahnke of UW-Green Bay won the individual title (24:23.6). A total of 126 runners completed the race.

UWL is ranked first on the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Preseason Top-30 Poll in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. The Eagles captured their fourth (1996, 2001, 2005, 2024) national championship last season as Grant Matthai (third-place), Aidan Matthai (fifth), Joey Sullivan (16^th) and Jayden Zywicki (20^th) earned All-America honors.

UWL returns to action Saturday, September 20 at the St. Olaf College (Minn.) Invitational at 11 a.m.