GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The University of Michigan-Dearborn men's cross country team traveled to the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge to attempt to make a statement against the top teams in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference ahead of the league championships in a couple of weeks.

The No. 23 Wolverines finished second among WHAC teams, narrowly placing behind Siena Heights University in the 8k race at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids, Mich., placing 13^th overall out of 26 teams in the event featuring some of the top programs in the NAIA.

For the first time, the Wolverines finished a race ahead of No. 21 Cornerstone University as all league teams look to position themselves in position for the conference title and National Championship Meet qualification.

Other notable teams to finish behind the Wolverines included Aquinas College, Campbellsville University, Marian University, and Montana State-Northern, all receiving votes in the latest NAIA poll.

Ryan Exell led the Wolverines with a 28^th-place showing, in a time of 28:48.4, while Josh Mussen was 54^th in 26:15.5. Other top runners for UM-Dearborn were Josh Williams in 64^th, Jarrett St. John in 122^nd, and Will Hengy in 128^th.

The Wolverines are off for two weeks to prepare for the WHAC Championships Nov. 9 at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids.