SHELBYVILLE, Ind. - The Manchester men's and women's cross country teams opened the 2023 season at the Grizzly Invitational hosted by Franklin College on Saturday, September 2nd.
 
The women's team finished in fourth place on the day with 118 points. Sophomore Rylee Stephany (LaPorte, Ind., LaPorte) led the Spartans, crossing the finish line in 11th place with a time of  21:15.4. Fellow sophomore Sydney Sluys (Columbus, Ind., Columbus North) came in next for the Black and Gold, finishing with a time of 21:48.4 for 21st place. Madi Hilliker (Muskegon, Mich., Reeths-Puffer) came in at 26th with a time of 22:11.9.
 
The men's team picked up a second place team finish with multiple top twenty individual placements. Fifth-year Enrique Salazar (Plymouth, Ind., Plymouth) led the Spartans with a 2nd place finish in a time of 15:11.3. Following just behind was Connor Havens (LaPorte, Ind., LaPorte), finishing 3rd with a time of 15:32.1. Gavin Byerly (Huntington, Ind., Huntington North) placed 10th with a time of 16:13.1 and Brenden Oden (New Carlisle, Ind., New Prairie) rounded out the top 20 with a time of 16:41.1.
 
Both the men's and women's teams will have the upcoming weekend off before return to action on September 16th at the Gil Dodds Invitational in Wheaton, Illinois.