WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College men's cross country team will compete in the Eagle Invitational hosted by Benedictine University on Friday afternoon.

The Race: The eight-kilometer race is scheduled to begin at 4:45 p.m. (CST) or 5:45 p.m. (EST).

The Teams: Wilmington will be joined by several other NCAA Division III institutions at the event. They include – Augustana College, Beloit College, host Benedictine, Carthage College, Concordia University Chicago, Dominican University, Elmhurst College, North Central College North Park University and the University of Chicago.

The Coach: Ron Combs is in his 23rd season as head cross country coach at Wilmington College. A 1993 graduate of Wilmington, Combs was a member of the only cross country team to win a conference title in school history. Also the head track & field coach at the College, Combs led the Fightin' Quakers to two top-10 finishes nationally with a sixth place finish at the 2002 NCAA Division III Men's Indoor Track & Field Championships and a seventh place mark at the 2004 Women's Indoor Track & Field Championships.

The Runners: Evan Whitaker ran one of the fastest eight-kilometer times for a freshman in program history at the All-Ohio Intercollegiate Championships last weekend. Whitaker crossed the finish line in 25:53.7 for 81st place as one of the top DIII freshman in the event. Cameron Phelps and Gage Clemens were the next to finish for Wilmington, do so 13 seconds apart with times of 26:41.1 and 26:54.1 respectively. Hunter Stith and Ryan Honkomp rounded out the Quakers' top five finishers.

Social Media: Follow Wilmington athletics on social media! The Fightin' Quakers have a presence on Facebook (Wilmington College Athletics) as well as Twitter and Instagram (@DubCQuakers).

Coverage: Follow @DubC_XCTR and @DubCQuakers for updates on the meet.

Up Next: Wilmington hosts the Jenna Strong Invitational on campus on Friday, Oct. 12.