Leavenworth, Kan. – The Friends University Falcons opened the 2026 season with a top three finish by the Men and a fourth-place result for the Women at the Spire Sunset Showdown tonight (Aug. 28) in Leavenworth, Kan.
A solid group of freshmen factored in heavily for both teams, with first-year runner Joaquin Miranda (26:51) leading the Falcon Men with an 11th place individual finish. Another freshman, Laurenz Steiss (27:15.8) was second on the Falcons and 22nd overall. Sam Wright (27:41.3) came in 30th, with two more freshmen Gavin Hickert (29:01.8) and Brody Whitaker (29:02.0) making up the Falcons' top five runners in 47th and 48, respectively.
In the Falcon Women's event, it was 2025 NAIA National qualifier Lexi Patterson (20:58) picking right back up and leading the way with a 20th place finish. From there, three of the next four Falcon runners in the top five were freshmen. Freshman Cadence Stanley (21:03.9) was 22nd, followed by Hannah Cribley (21:13.2) in 24th. Another pair of freshmen Ellie Petz (21:53) in 32nd and Lydia Walden (22:03.2) in the 36th spot finished out the Falcons' top five.
The Falcon Cross Country teams will be right back in action in Wichita next Saturday (Sept. 5) for the JK Gold Invite at Clapp Park.
