NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Macalester College men's cross country team put four runners in the top seven and won the five-team Ole Opener on a steamy Friday evening at St. Olaf. The victory marked the first competition of the season for the Scots, who scored 34 points to defeat host St. Olaf (44).

Junior John Ihrke (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) crossed the finish line first in front of a field of 100 runners, covering the 5-kilometer course in 15:57.2. He was closely followed by junior Caleb Hatlevig (Stow, Mass./Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School), who was second in 16:00.0. Senior Quinn Hoisington (Seattle, Wash./Lincoln) was next in fifth place with a time of 16:24.8, with sophomore Chase Fitterer (Spokane, Wash./International School of Business) giving the Scots four top-7 finishers in 16:27.0. Senior Daniel Wiltse (Missoula, Mont./Hellgate) was Macalester's fifth runner and final scorer, taking 19th in 16:35.6, just ahead of sophomore Donovan Connole (West Hartford, Conn./William H. Hall) in 20th (16:35.7).

Also running well were first years Liam Paulson (Portland, Ore./Grant) in 23rd, Nathaniel Goff (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/John F. Kennedy) in 33rd and Oren Garvey Shah (Madison, Wis./Madison East) in 35th, and senior Gabe Thompson (Wooster, Ohio/Wooster) in 34th.

Next up for Macalester is the Toni St. Pierre Invitational, hosted by Saint John's/Saint Benedict at River Oaks Golf Club in Cold Spring, Minn., on Sept. 18.


Click here for final results.