BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – After finishing just one point shy of first place in the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship meet last year, the Geneva men's cross country program enters the 2025 season expected to be the top team in the conference, according to the PAC's annual preseason poll. The Golden Tornadoes finished with a total of 112 points in the poll, 14 points ahead of any other team, and received five of the 12 available first-place votes. No other team received more than three first-place votes.
Geneva graduated just two seniors from last season's team, although one of those seniors,
Kevin Arseneaux, leaves some big shoes to fill. Arseneaux was the Golden Tornadoes' top runner in each of the last three seasons, becoming the first Geneva runner to win the PAC meet in 2023 and finishing his career as one of the most decorated athletes in Geneva history. However, the GTs return their next six-best runners from 2024, including four top-20 finishers in the PAC meet, so they are built well to make another run for the program's first-ever conference title.
Leading the way for the men this season will be a group of six seniors, highlighted by Second Team All-PAC runner
Tommy Corbin and Honorable Mention performers
Karter Reath and
Eli Eisenberger. Those three made up Geneva's second-, fourth-, and fifth-place finishers from the 2024 Championships, respectively, and will provide both speed on the course and excellent leadership off of it this year. Fellow senior
Benjamin Perka just missed out on a top-20 finish last season but will be another important contributor in 2025.
Last year's PAC Newcomer of the Year, sophomore
Ethan Haring, also returns to the team after taking 16
th overall at PACs, the best performance of any freshman at the meet. He, along with Geneva's six seniors, make for one of the deepest groups of any team in the PAC this season.
Seven other returning sophomores, as well as five freshmen, round out the roster for head coach
Phil Thompson. Freshman
Xaver Alexander, out of Frederick, MD, is expected to be an important contributor this fall and was named a PAC Runner to Watch.
The men begin their season with a trip up to Westminster this Friday, where they will compete in the Westminster Fisher Invite. The race is slated for 7:15 p.m., after the women finish.
Through purposeful learning in a community reflecting the full spectrum of God's kingdom, a Geneva College experience inspires students to discover a faith-life calling in service to God and neighbor. Offering 195+ traditional undergraduate majors and programs, fully online Adult Degree Programs and high-demand graduate degrees, Geneva's programs are recognized for their high quality and affordability. Geneva was founded and is governed by the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA) and is a founding member of both the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and the International Association for Christian Education (IACE).
