CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Chicago State men's cross country team opened their 2025 season by running at the Fighting Illini Invitational hosted by the University of Illinois The Cougars competed in a 6K race against fellow Illinois Universities. They included host Illinois, Illinois State, Bradley, UIC, and Southern Illinois. Indiana State also made the trip to Champaign.
The Cougars ran seven runners on Friday and they were led by freshmen
Denis Kirui,
Collins Kuyo, and
Jacob Draaisma. The trio all made their collegiate debut in impressive fashion. Kirui was the fastest Cougar on the morning posting a time of 18:54.20 to finish 37
th overall. Kuyo finished 45
th overall with the second fastest Chicago State time with a 19:18.20. Draaisma finished 49
th overall with a 6K time of 19:26.30. Two other freshmen,
Dean Solomon and
Jason Arteaga also made their debut for Chicago State while
Trevon Prince and
Jaden Laster also opened their seasons for the Cougars.
Looking ahead: The Cougar men's cross country team will look to next weekend as the season gets underway. The Cougars will travel to Dekalb for the Huskie Classic hosted by Northern Illinois University next Friday September 5 with a four mile race beginning at 6:10 PM.
