COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Metropolitan State University of Denver men's and women's cross country teams opened the 2026 season Saturday morning at the UCCS Rust Buster, with the women competing in the 5-kilometer race and the men taking part in the 8K.

Both squads were led by top-10 individual finishes, with Darren Hayden placing third overall in the men's race and Ellie Shaw finishing 10th overall in the women's competition.

Hayden crossed the finish line in 25:42.6, placing third among 65 competitors to lead the Roadrunners in the men's 8K. Jordan Duran followed in 12th at 26:21.0, while Jonathan Duran finished just behind him in 13th at 26:22.7.

Parker Davidson recorded a time of 27:33.5 to finish 32nd, followed by Eisen Dacus in 35th at 27:41.8. Matthew Hayden placed 36th with a time of 27:46.2, while Josh Chedeayne rounded out the Roadrunners' competitors in 40th at 27:57.8.

On the women's side, Shaw paced MSU Denver in the 5K, completing the course in 18:29.4 to finish 10th among 86 runners.

Reese Bachman was the Roadrunners' second finisher, placing 25th in 19:17.6. Peyton Meier crossed in 36th at 19:43.3, while Payton Rusk followed in 39th with a time of 19:52.8.

Alexandra Doumanov finished 42nd in 20:03.9, with Madison Danks placing 44th at 20:06.8 and Ava Archuletta finishing 45th at 20:07.2. Piper Loeks rounded out the MSU Denver lineup in 52nd with a time of 20:40.3.

The UCCS Rust Buster marked the first meet of the 2026 season for the Roadrunners, providing the men's and women's squads with their first opportunity to compete as they begin the new campaign.