SHELBYVILLE, Ind. — The Franklin men's cross country team kicked off the 2025 campaign on Saturday morning, hosting the annual Grizzly Invitational at Blue River Memorial Park.

The Grizzlies finished fifth out of 10 teams on the 5-kilometer course, led by a fifth-place individual finish from sophomore William Hirsch (16:06.24).

Second on the team and 31st overall was senior Jonah Decker, who completed his race in 16:49.36. Senior Sam Wilson crossed the line not too much later in 34th (16:54.76). Fellow senior Riley Devening was 43rd with a time of 17:07.62. Junior Nathan Furnish rounded out the scoring, securing 57th in a time of 17:32.32.

Franklin hits the road next Saturday (Sept. 13) for the Hanover Invitational. Start time for the first race is set for 10:00 a.m.