NORTON, Ohio — The Kent State men opened the 2023 cross country season by winning the Tommy Evans Invitational on Friday. The women placed seventh of 16 team in the evening's 5K race.
The No. 14 in the NCAA DI Men's Cross Country Great Lakes Regional Preseason Rankings had five runners finish in the top-30 and edged rival Akron, which hosted the meet at Silver Creek Cross Country Trails, by three points.
Junior Baidy Ba paced Kent State in the 6K race with a time of 18:29.7 to finish third. Senior Ethan Yost was the second Flash to cross the finish line and took sixth in 18:38.