WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College women's cross country team will compete in the 2019 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Women's Cross Country Championships on Saturday.
The Race: The eight-kilometer race at Liberty Park in Twinsburg, Ohio, is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. A map of the course can be viewed by visiting the link above.
The Teams: Wilmington will be joined by the nine other OAC member institutions – Baldwin Wallace University, Capital University, Heidelberg University, John Carroll University (host), Marietta College, the University of Mount Union, Muskingum University, Ohio Northern University and Otterbein University.
The Coach: Ron Combs is in his 24th 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: Wilmington has conquered three eight-kilometer courses this season - the Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) Invitational on Sept. 14, the All-Ohio intercollegiate Championships at Cedarville University on Sept. 28 and the JennaStrong Fall Classic at home on Oct. 11. Simon Heys finished as the top Fightin' Quaker individual in two of those three races with his best time (26:03.7) coming on his home course. Evan Whitaker, the regining OAC Freshman of the Year, was Wilmington's top placer (third) at OWU with a time of 26:26.1. The duo of Taton Bertsch and Ryan Honkomp have also been in Wilmington's top five placers in those three races.
Recent History: Wilmington finished eighth at the 2018 OAC Women's Cross Country Championships. The Quakers last time finishing in the top half of the league was a fourth-place finish in 2012.
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: Live results will be available – visit the link above.
Up Next: Wilmington has a week off before competing in the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional hosted by Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Nov. 16.
