FARGO, N.D. - Sophomore Grady Anderson was the top finisher for the North Dakota State men's cross country team in the season-opening Bison Invitational at Rose Creek Golf Course on Friday evening. Anderson took fifth place overall on the eight-kilometer course, finishing in 26:49.29.

Redshirt freshman Brendan Skime placed 11th in 27:07.97 and sophomore Lucas DeGree was 15th in 27:36.08, giving NDSU three underclassmen as its top three finishers.

Juniors Josh Hintz and Moses Heppner rounded out the Bison scoring in 17th and 18th place, respectively.

In claiming the top spot for the Bison on Friday, Anderson took the first step toward filling the void left by Travis Fitzke, NDSU's top runner in 2011 who has exhausted his cross country eligibility. Anderson was the No. 3 finisher for the Bison at last year's Summit League Championships, helping the team to a runner-up finish.

In the double dual scoring format, NDSU fell to North Dakota, 49-18, and to South Dakota State, 34-21. UND edged SDSU, 28-32.

NDSU will compete next at the South Dakota State Invitational in Brookings, S.D., on Sept. 14.