The 2020-21 Dayton men's cross country season was not your average campaign as the COVID-19 pandemic altered the state of college athletics.

Due to the pandemic, the Flyers competed in just two meets on the season with the other two events at Duquesne and Butler cancelled.

Dayton opened the 2020-21 season in the spring instead of the fall, starting with the Wright State meet on Feb. 6 in nearby Fairborn. The Flyers opened up the campaign in style, dominating the event and winning the meet.

UD had the top seven runners in the race and 13 of the top 15 performers. Sophomore Calan Gizelbach led the way in first overall with a personal best time of 24:57. Freshmen Bryce Conley and Sam Duncan had strong debuts as well, placing second and third, while sophomore Conner Johanssen and junior Kyle Vernot rounded out the top five.

The Flyers' next meet was the 2020-21 Atlantic 10 Championships at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, Va. In challenging conditions and a very talented field, Dayton placed sixth overall with 149 points, ahead of Rhode Island, Duquesne, and Davidson.

Gizelbach had the best showing for the Flyers, placing 25^th individually. Conley, Duncan, and redshirt freshman Matthew Sollenberger all earned Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team accolades.

"The men put themselves into a good position early on," said head coach Jason Ordway. "We competed up front and had a nice mid-pack that tried to work up throughout the race. This was one of those years where the conference was incredibly deep and youth and experience showed a bit. Returning seven of out of our top eight and all of our top five will be a big confidence boost for the fall. After a short break, we will get back to basics and start to look forward to the fall."

Both the UD women's and men's cross country squads were named USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams for 2020 as well.

Gizelbach went on during the outdoor track season and set a new school record in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 9:18.69 at the Oliver Nikoloff meet and finished second overall.

For the annual team awards, Gizelbach earned White Allen Most Valuable Runner. Junior Brandon Christopher received the High Flyer Award. Sollenberger picked up Most Improved runner honors.

The program would like to thank the seniors for the 2021 class; Colin Lamb, Kevin Lawson, Kyle Vernot, Griffin Barger, and Will Majercak.