PRESCOTT, Wis. - The University of Northwestern Men's Cross Country team kickstarted their 2026 campaign with an 8K at the UW-River Falls River Town Invitational on Friday, with impressive performances from freshman August Swenson (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield) and veteran Tyler Dueber (Bloomington, Minn./Homeschool).

Swenson, in his first collegiate meet, finished 15th among Division II and Division III runners. He clocked a 28:46.2 time as his low mark to begin his Northwestern career. Dueber, in his final season with Northwestern, finished 27th, scoring 25 points, with a time of 29:41.2.

Hudson Selfridge (Rapid City, S.D./Rapid City Christian), another freshman, was the next Northwestern runner to cross the finish line, stopping the clock at 32:11.9. Seniors Peter Kephart (Lake Nebagamon, Wis./Northwestern) and Samuel Otis (Shoreview, Minn./Homeschool) were the final two point scorers for the Eagles in 48th and 51st place with times of 32:48.6 and 33:29.5, respectively.

A pair of fresh faces for Northwestern made their debut and crossed next for the Eagles. Jonah Peterson (Harrisburg, S.D./Harrisburg) finished 52nd with a time of 34:06.3, and Caleb Saari (Wyoming, Minn./Homeschool) placed 55th with his finish of 34:15.7.

Joshua Ringsmuth (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) clocked a 38:05.9 finish while Darrius Van Hubbard Jr. (North Minneapolis, Minn./Camden) ran a time of 42:10.2 in his collegiate debut. Cody Mercado (Arden Hills, Minn./Fourth Baptist Christian School) was the final Northwestern runner, finishing with a time of 45:39.8.

The Eagles will race at the Cougar Twilight next Friday, September 11, at 6:00 PM in Morris, Minnesota.