PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - - The Wilmington University cross country teams started the 2025 season red hot, as the men won the Philadelphia Cross Classic on Belmont Plateau while the women finished second overall on Saturday morning.

The men collected 27 points to defeat Jefferson by 21 points while newcomer Julian Jones won his first meet as a Wildcat by more than 15 seconds. Sammy Banning led the women to a second-place finish by finishing seventh overall, helping the Wildcats to 66 points, trailing only Jefferson in the standings.

The women started the morning with a 5K race, as senior Sammy Banning led the team with a seventh-place finish with a time of 21:27.70. Twin sister Tiffany Banning finished 13^th overall with a time of 21:59.84 while Maddie Minnick trailed directly behind with a 14^th place finish with a time of 22:24.89.

Amy Chomo finished 16^th overall for 15 team points, crossing the line in 22:43.61. Angie Chomo rounded out the team scoring with a 21^st place finish for 19 points, crossing the line in 23:47.63. Claudia Rodriguez rounded out the Wildcats on the 5K course, placing 32^nd overall with a time of 25:10.68.

On the men's side, the Wildcats, ranked 10^th in the USTFCCCA East Region Preseason Poll, beat the No. 7 ranked Jefferson Rams by 21 points. Senior transfer Julian Jones won his first meet as a Wildcat, crossing the line in 27:23.70 to win the 8K race by more than 15 seconds.

Carter Sparwasser led a pack of three Wildcats to cross the line, finishing fourth overall with a time of 28:57.21. Freshman Reggie Hernandez finished directly behind in fifth place with a time of 29:26.71 followed by freshman Skyler Pearson in sixth place with a time of 29:31.36. Freshman Julian Rich closed out the team scoring for the Wildcats with an 11^th place finish, running the course in 30:10.34.

Another freshman, Kevin Gonzalez, was the sixth Wildcat to cross the line, finishing 15^th overall with a time of 20:49.89. classmate Cooper Schmidt placed 17^th overall with a time of 231:21.75 while Zach Souders was close behind in 20^th overall with a time of 31:37.93. Braeden Peterson placed 28^th overall with a time of 32:50.85 while Niko Licup rounded out the Wildcats on the course with a time of 37:43.03 for a 58^th place finish.

The Wildcats will regroup for their next race, staying close to home once again as they will compete in the Delaware Invitational on Friday, September 19. The women will start at 9:00 a.m. followed by the men at 9:45 a.m. at White Clay Creek State Park in Newark, Delaware.