Friday, September 4
Dayton, OH / Fairborn Community Park
6:30 PM
Wright State University
vs
Mike Baumer Cross Country Classic
Photo by: Joseph Craven
Raiders host Mike Baumer XC Classic Friday to open 2026 season
9/3/2026 6:00:00 PM | Cross Country
DAYTON — The Wright State cross country teams open their 2026 season by hosting the annual Mike Baumer XC Classic on Friday evening at Fairborn Community Park. The men's 5,000-meter run will kick off the meet at 6:30 p.m., while the women's 5K race will follow at 7 p.m. Admission will be $10 per car for spectators.
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Fans are encouraged to hang around after the meet to honor the collegiate careers of the 2026 Wright State cross country senior class.
The meet is in honor of Raider great Mike Baumer, a three-time national qualifier as a runner for the Raiders, who restarted Wright State's program in 1984 and coached through the 1999 season.
Wright State men's team will race against 13 teams, and the women's team will race against 12 teams in the home meet. Notable competitors include Butler, Cedarville, Ohio State, Central State, and Northern Kentucky.
The course is relatively flat and fast with all grass footing, consisting of two 2,500-meter loops. Click here to view the course map.
Last season, the Raider men finished third in their 13-team 5K race, with the Wright State women turning in a fifth-place finish in the 11-team women's 5K race. Patrick Statzer paced the Raider men with his 16th-place individual finish while Shelby Hept was 24th to lead the Wright State women.
The men finished with three Raiders inside the top 30, with Statzer finishing with a time of 15:00.6, followed by Evan McPherson in 27th with his 15:12.6 mark and Blake Rodgers' time of 15:16.9 in 29th. Hept turned in a 18:43.1 mark in the women's race, while Sydney Thomson was 30th with her 19:01.9 time for the second Raider inside the top 30.
After the Mike Baumer Classic, the Raiders will turn their focus to the RMU Colonial XC Invitational on Friday, September 11, hosted by Robert Morris. The same course will be the site of the 2026 Horizon League Cross Country Championships later in November.
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Fans are encouraged to hang around after the meet to honor the collegiate careers of the 2026 Wright State cross country senior class.
The meet is in honor of Raider great Mike Baumer, a three-time national qualifier as a runner for the Raiders, who restarted Wright State's program in 1984 and coached through the 1999 season.
Wright State men's team will race against 13 teams, and the women's team will race against 12 teams in the home meet. Notable competitors include Butler, Cedarville, Ohio State, Central State, and Northern Kentucky.
The course is relatively flat and fast with all grass footing, consisting of two 2,500-meter loops. Click here to view the course map.
Last season, the Raider men finished third in their 13-team 5K race, with the Wright State women turning in a fifth-place finish in the 11-team women's 5K race. Patrick Statzer paced the Raider men with his 16th-place individual finish while Shelby Hept was 24th to lead the Wright State women.
The men finished with three Raiders inside the top 30, with Statzer finishing with a time of 15:00.6, followed by Evan McPherson in 27th with his 15:12.6 mark and Blake Rodgers' time of 15:16.9 in 29th. Hept turned in a 18:43.1 mark in the women's race, while Sydney Thomson was 30th with her 19:01.9 time for the second Raider inside the top 30.
After the Mike Baumer Classic, the Raiders will turn their focus to the RMU Colonial XC Invitational on Friday, September 11, hosted by Robert Morris. The same course will be the site of the 2026 Horizon League Cross Country Championships later in November.
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Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
Saturday, May 02
Thursday, September 12
Friday, August 30
Wednesday, May 22
