WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's cross country and track & field teams had five individuals earn Academic All-District honors as the College Sports Communicators (formerly known as CoSIDA) announced the honorees on Wednesday, May 31.
Nathan Borgan, Simon Heys, Luke Pennington, George Rickett and Noah Tobin garnered Academic All-District honors and will be on the ballot for a chance at becoming an Academic All-American. In order to qualify for nomination for Academic All-District, student-athletes must meet the following qualifications:
- Sophomore athletically or higher
- 3.50 cumulative grade point average or higher
- Been enrolled at the institution for at least one calendar year
- Starter or key reserve
Borgan, a sophomore business administration major from Lancaster, is a member of the WC throws squad. Specializing in the weight throw indoors and the hammer throw outdoors, he earned All-OAC recognition with a third-place heave of 57' 6.25" in the weight throw. Borgan followed that up with a runner-up mark of 183' 7" in the hammer throw for a second All-OAC honor on the year. He then took advantage of a Last Chance Meet to earn a spot at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships. There, Borgan became an All-American by placing sixth in the hammer throw (193' 6").
Heys, a junior sport management and communication arts double major from Wilmington, is the most decorated men's cross country and track & field athlete in school history. In cross country, Heys finished third (25:49) at the OAC Cross Country Championships and crossed the finish line as runner-up (24:22.8) at the Great Lakes Regional meet. At the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, Heys repeated as an All-American, placing 15th (25:20.4) on a snowy course in East Lansing, Michigan. On the track, Heys won his first OAC title in the indoor 5,000-meter run (14:33.67) and finished runner-up in the 3,000-meter run (8:17.11). He competed at both events at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships, taking fifth in the 5,000-meter run (14:11.96). During the outdoor season, the Wilmington High School alumnus added to his All-OAC total with two more runner-up finishes in the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter runs. He concluded a stellar year with a 26-second school record run of 29:12.62 in the 10,000-meter run at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships. That time placed him fourth, for All-American honors, and is the ninth-fastest in NCAA Division III history.
Pennington, a junior exercise science major from Lebanon, is a member of the WC throws squad specializing in the discus. His best mark of the year (97' 9") came outdoors at the MSJ Invitational on April 22.
Rickett is a 2022 December WC alumnus. The College's OAC Clyde Lamb Award winner for the academic year, Rickett was an All-Region and All-OAC selection during the track & field season. He concluded his Quaker career by being the third individual in program history to compete at the NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country Championships.
Tobin, a junior sport management and business administration double major from Saint Mary's, excelled in both cross country and in distance events during both track & field seasons. In the fall, Tobin earned All-OAC honors with a sixth-place finish (26:09) at the OAC Cross Country Championships and followed that performance up with an All-Region time of 24:35.7 at the Great Lakes Regional Meet hosted at Hope College. He became just the third individual to compete at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships in program history. In track, he narrowly missed All-OAC honors in the indoor 5,000-meter run (14:42.46) and the outdoor 10,000-meter run (31:15.75).
The 2022-23 academic year was one to remember for the men's cross country and track & field programs. The men's cross country team took third at the OAC Championships, the highest in program history. Although the Quakers narrowly missed qualification for nationals as a team, three individuals qualified for nationals. The men's track & field squad finished third at the Indoor OAC Championships, fifth at the OAC Outdoor championships and a program-best ninth-place finish at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
