TWIN FALLS, Idaho - Northwest Nazarene cross country took to the course for the first official race of the season on Friday morning, battling a pair of other squads from Idaho at the College of Southern Idaho's Dr. Thad Scholes XC Classic.

The NNU men defended their team title from the same event in 2024, with finishers placing 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 9th for a total score of 21 points. College of Idaho came in second at 38 points, followed by CSI in third at 70 points. 

Brody Kemble picked up right where he left off last season, winning another individual title with a time of 21:50.7 in the 7K race. This marks Kemble's fourth cross country first-place finish, including three in the last two seasons. 

Grady Mylander was not far behind, taking second with a time of 22:00.2. Ian Stockett was right after him in third with a time of 22:04.9.

Asher Ingram grabbed the sixth-place finish at 22:47.5, followed by Neftali Menendez in ninth at 23:14.7 to round out the five scorers for NNU. First-year Nighthawk Christian Gump also had a great debut race, placing 15th out of the 53 competitors. Micah Chi also crossed the line in 16th place to make it seven Nighthawks that finished in the top 20.

The team scores were much tighter on the women's side, with College of Idaho taking the victory at 31 points, CSI second at 43 points, and NNU third at 49 points.

Morgan Erler and freshman Hazel Kunkel led the Nighthawks in the 5K race, with Erler placing third at 19:04.2 and Kunkel fourth at 19:08.8.

Zoey Stauffer was next for NNU, placing 10th at 19:33.4, followed by McKenna Lechner in 14th at 19:45.1. Madison Ingram rounded out the five counting runners, placing 21st (18 points) with a time of 20:14.2.

The Nighthawks will now prepare to host their first home cross country meet in over a decade, with the NNU Invitational coming up on Friday, Sept. 19 at West Park in Nampa. The women's race is set to begin at 10:00 a.m., with the men following an hour later.