GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Lawrence Tech Blue Devils men's cross country team had a stellar showing at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge XC Invitational on October 25, 2025, securing an impressive 8th place finish out of 23 scoring teams. The Blue Devils tallied 208 points with a total team time of 2:14:26.00 across the 8K course. The team's exceptional performance was powered by sophomore Graeson Lawrence, who led the squad with a remarkable 2nd place overall finish. Lawrence broke the 26-minute barrier with a time of 25:56.80, placing him second only to the event winner.

Lawrence was well-supported by the rest of the squad, who kept the pace fast to secure the top-10 team standing. Senior Aidan Brzezinski and sophomore Silas Smith crossed the line back-to-back, claiming the 22nd and 24th scoring positions with times of 26:32.40 and 26:33.10, respectively. Sophomore Alex Eplin was the fourth runner for the Blue Devils, securing the 72nd scoring spot at 27:28.70, followed closely by freshman Marek Unger, who completed the scoring five in 88th place with a time of 27:55.20.

The strong finish puts the Blue Devils in great standing regionally, as they finished ahead of several key competitors. Rounding out the team's strong effort were junior Arline Lile (28:33.90) and senior Noah Blandino (28:58.00). Overall, the event was claimed by Indiana Wesleyan with 94 points, but the Blue Devils' dominant individual finish and collective team effort demonstrated they are able to compete with the best of the best. 

The Blue Devils will be back in action on November 7th for the WHAC Championship in Adrian, Michigan.