PORTLAND, Ore.—Freshman distance runner Ryan Schmitt (Holmdel, N.J.) ran in a Villanova singlet for the first time at the USATF Cross Country Championships on Saturday afternoon. He competed in the U20 Men's race at the national championships and posted a time of 26:32.9 over 8,000 meters at Glendoveer Golf Course.
 
Schmitt placed 16^th in a field of more than 50 runners in his only race of the 2025 cross country season. The newcomer to the Wildcats roster competed in both cross country and track & field during his scholastic career at Christian Brothers Academy where he was part of a distance medley relay championship team at the Penn Relays.
 
Villanova was represented by Schmitt along with two alums at the USATF Cross Country Championships in Portland. Recent graduate Liam Murphy came in seventh in the Open Men's 10K and posted a time of 29:59.4. Ryan Cutter was 55^th in the same race in 33:21.6.