EAST LANSING, Michigan - For the first time in program history, the Wilmington College men's cross country team had multiple individuals compete at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships on Saturday. Simon Heys, Noah Tobin and George Rickett fought through difficult weather conditions to finish the eight-kilometer course.
Heys, who finished fifth at the 2021 Championships, earned his second consecutive All-American honors with a 15th-place time of 25:20.4. Tobin, running in his first national meets meet, placed 56th with a time of 25:47.8. The St. Mary's, Ohio, native missed a top-40 and All-American finish by just over 10 seconds. Rickett, who returned for his fifth year, concluded his cross country career by crossing the finish line in 26:12.2 and in 121st place in a field of nearly 300 runners.
"I'm super proud of my guys and the attitude and effort they gave today in the race," Head Coach Ron Combs said. "I think these three really wanted to prove that they belonged and ran very well in difficult conditions. They all ran like they had all been to the meet before, but only Simon has been there. I'm proud of my whole team and those three guys for what they have done for our program."
Alongside sending three individuals to the final race of the season for the first time, the 2022 Wilmington cross country team achieved a couple of other milestones the program hasn't hit before. WC finished the 2022 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championships in third place and the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional in sixth place.