Friday, September 5
DeKalb, Ill.
5:30 P.M. CT
DePaul University
at
Huskie Opener
Blue Demons Dominate in Season Opener
9/5/2025 8:47:00 PM | CROSS COUNTRY
Cross Country takes home first in both men’s and women’s races
DEKALB, Ill. – DePaul cross country wrapped up its visit to Northern Illinois with a dominant showing, finishing first place in both the women's 5k and men's 6k races in DeKalb, Ill., Friday evening. The Blue Demons felt right at home, roughly an hour west of Chicago, winning both races at NIU's North 40 Championships Cross Country Course for the second straight year.
"There are makings of a really good team," said head coach Geoff Wayton. "The last two weeks of training were strong, and the group showed great synergy. With some time to figure things out, a lot of questions were answered today. I'm really happy with how things went and excited about what's ahead."
The Huskie Opener began with the women's 5k at 5:30 p.m. CT, and then the men's 6k followed at 6:10 p.m. CT.
"On the women's side, Gianna had the best race of her career in a DePaul uniform, which was great to see," said Wayton. "Tessa won her first collegiate cross country race, and Vivian ran aggressively and continues to grow. Kalina just arrived from Poland a week ago after a short summer, and she was fantastic. The gap on six and seven still needs to close, but overall they ran like veterans, even as a team of many newcomers."
Beginning the evening, the DePaul women dominated with four runners earning top-five finishes. Sophomore Tessa Roe improved her 3rd-place performance from last year's Huskie Opener into a first-place finish this year, clocking in at 17:55.26. Vivian Wyller followed close behind as she finished 2nd, clocking in with an 18:15.38.
Newcomer Kalina Urbaniak dazzled with an impressive 3rd-place finish and a time of 18:29.74. Junior Isabella Orozco rounded out the top-five finishers with a time of 18:43.75, and Gianna Sanchez recorded the best time of her career with a 19:09.06 finish in 10th place.
"On the men's side, Kyle Clark came in strong, and it was great to see him finish near the top. Cole Tupper ran an awesome race as well, and I'm really excited for him. Some of the track guys, who we thought might take a little longer to adjust, contributed in a big way. The younger runners had never raced that far before, but they stepped up. Both teams still need to find that fifth runner, and the story of the day really was about the five, six, and seven spots. These are talented teams that are training well; the key will be maintaining consistency and getting them closer together," said Wayton.
The men followed suit in the 6k race as transfer Kyle Clark made an impressive debut, finishing 1st among the men with a time of 18:35.61. Just four seconds back, Mohamed Abdullahi secured 2nd place with an 18:39.55 finish.
Junior Mason Krieg and freshman Cole Tupper turned in strong efforts of their own, placing 4th and 5th, respectively. Senior John Bush rounded out the top five Blue Demons with a 9th-place time of 19:36.71.
Huskie Opener Results
North 40 Championships Cross Country Course
Friday, Sept. 5
Women's 5K
1. Tessa Roe - 17:55.26
2. Vivian Wyller - 18:15.38
3. Kalina Urbaniak - 18:29.74
5. Isabella Orozco - 18:43.75
10. Gianna Sanchez - 19:09.06
21. Sara Cordova - 19:56.61
24. Lucy McNally - 20:08.05
27. Trixie Johnson - 20:22.87
32. Grace Havern - 20:52.34
Men's 6K
1. Kyle Clark - 18:35.61
2. Mohamed Abdullahi - 18:39.55
4. Mason Krieg - 18:50.75
5. Cole Tupper - 19:05.79
9. John Bush - 19:36.71
10. Daniel Grauer - 19:40.11
11. Jack Broghammer - 19:51.57
15. Kyle Friedl - 20:26.49
16. Reid Waco - 20:27.39
17. Jack Hopkins - 20:33.36
18. Hunter Bostwick - 20:39.56
19. Eli DeSimone - 20:39.84
Up Next
The Blue Demons return to action Friday, Sept. 19, traveling to South Bend, Ind. for the National Catholic Championship at Notre Dame.
FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all of the latest on DePaul Cross Country, Track & Field, stay tuned to DePaulBlueDemons.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
"There are makings of a really good team," said head coach Geoff Wayton. "The last two weeks of training were strong, and the group showed great synergy. With some time to figure things out, a lot of questions were answered today. I'm really happy with how things went and excited about what's ahead."
The Huskie Opener began with the women's 5k at 5:30 p.m. CT, and then the men's 6k followed at 6:10 p.m. CT.
"On the women's side, Gianna had the best race of her career in a DePaul uniform, which was great to see," said Wayton. "Tessa won her first collegiate cross country race, and Vivian ran aggressively and continues to grow. Kalina just arrived from Poland a week ago after a short summer, and she was fantastic. The gap on six and seven still needs to close, but overall they ran like veterans, even as a team of many newcomers."
Beginning the evening, the DePaul women dominated with four runners earning top-five finishes. Sophomore Tessa Roe improved her 3rd-place performance from last year's Huskie Opener into a first-place finish this year, clocking in at 17:55.26. Vivian Wyller followed close behind as she finished 2nd, clocking in with an 18:15.38.
Newcomer Kalina Urbaniak dazzled with an impressive 3rd-place finish and a time of 18:29.74. Junior Isabella Orozco rounded out the top-five finishers with a time of 18:43.75, and Gianna Sanchez recorded the best time of her career with a 19:09.06 finish in 10th place.
"On the men's side, Kyle Clark came in strong, and it was great to see him finish near the top. Cole Tupper ran an awesome race as well, and I'm really excited for him. Some of the track guys, who we thought might take a little longer to adjust, contributed in a big way. The younger runners had never raced that far before, but they stepped up. Both teams still need to find that fifth runner, and the story of the day really was about the five, six, and seven spots. These are talented teams that are training well; the key will be maintaining consistency and getting them closer together," said Wayton.
The men followed suit in the 6k race as transfer Kyle Clark made an impressive debut, finishing 1st among the men with a time of 18:35.61. Just four seconds back, Mohamed Abdullahi secured 2nd place with an 18:39.55 finish.
Junior Mason Krieg and freshman Cole Tupper turned in strong efforts of their own, placing 4th and 5th, respectively. Senior John Bush rounded out the top five Blue Demons with a 9th-place time of 19:36.71.
Huskie Opener Results
North 40 Championships Cross Country Course
Friday, Sept. 5
Women's 5K
1. Tessa Roe - 17:55.26
2. Vivian Wyller - 18:15.38
3. Kalina Urbaniak - 18:29.74
5. Isabella Orozco - 18:43.75
10. Gianna Sanchez - 19:09.06
21. Sara Cordova - 19:56.61
24. Lucy McNally - 20:08.05
27. Trixie Johnson - 20:22.87
32. Grace Havern - 20:52.34
Men's 6K
1. Kyle Clark - 18:35.61
2. Mohamed Abdullahi - 18:39.55
4. Mason Krieg - 18:50.75
5. Cole Tupper - 19:05.79
9. John Bush - 19:36.71
10. Daniel Grauer - 19:40.11
11. Jack Broghammer - 19:51.57
15. Kyle Friedl - 20:26.49
16. Reid Waco - 20:27.39
17. Jack Hopkins - 20:33.36
18. Hunter Bostwick - 20:39.56
19. Eli DeSimone - 20:39.84
Up Next
The Blue Demons return to action Friday, Sept. 19, traveling to South Bend, Ind. for the National Catholic Championship at Notre Dame.
FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
For all of the latest on DePaul Cross Country, Track & Field, stay tuned to DePaulBlueDemons.com and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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