WAVERLY – Cornell's Isaac vanWestrienen and Jake Bach didn't disappoint in their much-anticipated season debuts at the Dan Huston Invitational Saturday on Wartburg's Max Cross Country Course.
 
VanWestrienen, the reigning Midwest Conference champion and a two-time NCAA qualifier, placed third in the large 278-man field. He was second among all collegiate finishers.
 
VanWestrienen clocked a quick 8K time of 24:28, trailing only unattached champion Daniel Rotich (24:06) and Wartburg's Isaiah Hammerand (24:16). Cornell's senior star came in ranked No. 3 nationally in this week's FloTrack Division III Poll.  
 
Bach, a junior transfer from Division I Wyoming, also impressed in his first competition as a Ram. He was the next to cross after vanWestrienen with a fourth-place effort in 24:40.
 
Cornell scored 215 points and finished seventh in the 16-team meet, won by No. 2 nationally-ranked Wartburg with 23 points. Simpson took second (112) and Central third (127).
 
Junior Jaxon Barnes established a personal-best 8K mark, placing 88th in 27:24. Caleb Long was 144th (28:25) and newcomer Caden Edwards 158th (28:54) to round out Cornell's scoring five.
 
Coming up – The Rams compete at the Interregional Invitational next Saturday, Oct. 18 in Rock Island, Ill.