WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College men's cross country team opens its 2019 season at home with the Quaker Open on Friday, Aug. 30
The Race: The five-kilometer race will begin shortly after the women's race has concluded. The start and finish of the race is located adjacent to Tewksbury-Delaney Field (baseball field).
The Teams: Wilmington will be joined by Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) members Capital University, the University of Mount Union and Marietta College. Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) institutions Earlham College and Mount St. Joseph University along with North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Wittenberg University will also be in attendance.
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: Evan Whitaker, the reigning OAC Freshman of the Year, returns for his sophomore campaign looking to build upon a 10th place finish (26:58.2) at the 2018 OAC Championships. The next three Quakers to cross the finish line in that meet – Gage Clemens, Cameron Phelps and Ryan Honkomp – also return. Four freshmen join the program this fall as well.
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 the cross country program on Twitter (@DubC_XCTR) for updates on the meet!
Up Next: Wilmington has a weekend off before heading to the Ohio Wesleyan Invitational on Sept. 14.
