WAVERLY – Cornell's men's cross country team opened the new season on a muggy Saturday morning at Wartburg's John Kurtt Invitational.
 
Returning all-conference runner Isaac Morris paced Cornell's pack, covering the Max Cross Country Course with a 5K mark of 16:56. The junior finished 25th in a strong 82-man field that featured No. 4 nationally-ranked Wartburg.
 
Morris was among only three non-Wartburg runners to break 17 minutes.
 
Junior Caleb Long crossed in 30th place (17:00). The Rams had five more individuals crack the top 50 with Jamie Briggs (37th, 17:15), Tony Zamudio (39th, 17:22), Caden Edwards (41st, 17:25) and newcomers Brady Leininger (45th, 17:33) and Milo Lovely (49th, 17:42).
 
The Rams placed third in the team race with 85 points. The host Knights won the meet with a perfect score of 15 points.
 
Wartburg also crowned the individual champion in Ethan Boston (15:39).
 
Coming up – The Rams compete Sept. 19 at Wheaton's Gil Dodds Invitational in Warrenville, Ill.