SPARTANBURG, S.C. | The Georgia College & State University men's cross country got their 2025 season off on the right foot as the Bobcats finished in third place at the Converse Kick-Off  hosted by Converse University Friday (Sept. 5) evening at the Milliken Research Park.

The Bobcats finished with 100 points, while the University of North Carolina at Pembroke won the 15-team meet with 44 points.

GCSU had three runners inside the top 20 on the 6K course and three more in the top 30. Shipley Smith led the Bobcat contingent with a 12th-place finish with a time of 19;58.0, while Karl Ritzler came in 16th place at 20:04.5, while Evan Rehrauer was 18th with a time of 20:11.8. Zach Hilyer posted a time of 20:35.9, good for 27th place, while Noah Boyd was two places back with a time of 20:43.1 and Nolan Lane was 30th at 20:44.1.

Noah Peters placed 33rd with a time of 20:48.5 and was followed by Daniel Laird (39th, 20:54.7), Jaycob Wagner (48th, 21:05.5), Evan Armstrong (64th, 21:44.3), Reed Glaser (73rd, 22:02.1), Peyton Harley (89th, 22:20.0), and Daniel Bell (114th, 24:02.0).

The Bobcats will compete next Friday (Sept. 12) at the UNG Cross Country Invitational hosted by the University of North Georgia in Oakwood, Georgia. The meet at the UNG Cross Country Course begins at 5:45 p.m.

 About GCSU Athletics 
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for four consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won five consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and four-time winners of the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in postseason competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports or subscribe to the GSCU Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with GCSU Athletics.