BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The University of Toledo men's cross country team opened its season with a third-place finish with 61 points at the Mel Brodt Collegiate Opener in Bowling Green, Ohio on Friday. 
 
"I thought it was good, especially for all of our freshmen," said first-year head coach Andrea Grove-McDonough. "We sat the front end of our lineup on purpose to give these youngsters an opportunity to see where they're at and how they competed. It was a good competitive effort for them."  
 
Besides the season opener for the Midnight Blue and Gold, it was also the first Division I collegiate race for all nine of the Rocket competitors. 
 
Freshman Jake Rethman set the pace for the men, clocking a 16:10.1 to round out the Top 10 finishers. Freshmen Tanner Delk and Cooper Losey followed close behind, placing 12th and 13th with times of 16:17.4 and 16:21.4, respectively. Losey's time was 32 seconds faster than his previous personal-best. 
 
"Jake Rethman had a really solid race," said Grove-McDonough. "Ultimately for the guys I was more unsure what to expect on that end than from the women. We had some really nice things out front. The freshmen were a little bit lucky it was only 5K, they'll have to be prepared to step up to 8K. That's going to be a bit of a stretch for us but they're working really hard right now." 
 
Next in for the Rockets were freshmen Brendan Hammer and Jonathon Hrivnak, who took 18th and  20th, respectively. Hrivnak shaved 20 seconds off from his previous PR, crossing the finish line with a time of 16:38.7. Sophomore Micah Swartz took 24th (16:47.5) with freshman Alex Kelker and Eric Warriner following closely to take 26th (16:58.3) and 27th (17:00.0), respectively. Sophomore Adam Billmaier stopped the clock at 17:23.1 to take 31st. 
 
The men's cross country team will head to DeKalb, Ill. for the NIU Huskie Challenge on Friday, Sept. 6. The women's 6K will begin at 5:00 p.m. CT  with the men's 8K to follow at 5:45 p.m. CT.
 
Mel Brodt Collegiate Opener 
Bowling Green, Ohio | Friday, Aug. 30 
Men's 5K
 
Top 5 Individuals 
1. Liam Hilbert - Buffalo - 15:46.3
2. Cal Puskar - Buffalo - 15:46.3
3. Scott Loforte - Buffalo - 15:50.6
4. Brandon Avers - Unattached - 15:52.8
5. Samuel Moran - Purdue Fort Wayne - 15:54.3
 
Toledo Individuals
10. Jake Rethman - 16:10.1
12. Tanner Delk - 16:17.4
13. Cooper Losey - 16:21.4
18. Brendan Hammer - 16:37.3
20. Jonathon Hrivnak - 16:38.7
24. Micah Swartz - 16:47.5
26. Alex Kelker - 16:58.3
27. Eric Warriner - 17:00.0
31. Adam Billmaier - 17:23.1
 
Team Standings
1. Buffalo - 25 points
2. Bowling Green - 57 points
3. Toledo - 61 points
4. Purdue Fort Wayne - 67 points