WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College men's cross country team is set to host the sixth annual Jenna Strong Fall Classic on Friday afternoon.
The Race: The eight-kilometer race is scheduled to begin at 5:15 p.m.
The Teams: Wilmington will be joined by 42 other teams at the meet. Other NCAA Division III teams competing include: Mount St. Joseph University, the College of Wooster, Hanover College, Muskingum University, Wittenberg University, Marietta College, Franklin College, Transylvania University, Defiance College, Anderson University, Ohio Northern University, Capital University and Spalding University.
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: Individually, Evan Whitaker finished in 13th place with a time of 26:26.3 as the top Wilmington finisher at the Eagle Invitational last weekend. Cameron Phelps placed 38ths as the next Quaker to cross the finish line, doing so in 27:00.2. Along with Phelps, Gage Clemens (27:19.3), Jacob Whitaker (27:53.8) and Ryan Honkomp (27:57.2) all recorded sub-28:00 times on the eight-kilometer course.
About Jenna Strong: On August 31, 2013, Jenna collapsed while leading the Franklin College Invitational and passed away three days later. Jenna was a student-athlete who overcame many medical obstacles in her life to become an outstanding runner. We are all blessed that Jenna was a part of our school/cross country family and we all miss her dearly! To celebrate Jenna's life, we renamed the Wilmington Fall Classic the Jenna Strong Fall Classic.
OAC Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week: Evan Whitaker is the reigning OAC Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week for his performance at the Eagle Invitational.
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 has a week off before competing in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championships on Oct. 27.
