Posted: Oct 15, 2021
VIDEO INTERVIEW - HEAD COACH RON COMBS
WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's cross country team, led by sophomore Simon Heys, came in first out of 36 teams in the eighth annual #JennaStrong Fall Classic on Friday evening.
The Fightin' Quakers went 1-7-11-37-45 to win the meet with 101 total points. Ashland University, an NCAA Division II institution, came in second with 116 points. Individually, Heys won his second consecutive race (having won the Pre-National Meet in Louisville, Kentucky, on Oct. 2) and beat the field by over 50 seconds with a time of 24:44.9.
The next two Wilmington individuals behind Heys were George Rickett and Noah Tobin. Both ran life-time bests on the eight-kilometer course as Rickett placed seventh with a time of 26:13.1 and Tobin took 11th, crossing the finish line in 26:16.9. Cohen Frost (27:06.1) and Eric Reynolds (27:20.7) rounded out the Quakers' top five with placements of 37th and 45th respectively.
"It was really special to win the meet today for the first time in over 20 years," Head Cross Country Coach Ron Combs said. "As I drove the gator up leading Simon, it was really a neat feeling to see our other guys right up near the front. Today was the best pack of the year by far, and it felt like we were capable of putting it together. We did that today."
Named after the late Jenna Parlette, the #JennaStrong Fall Classic always brings with it great support from the community, but per Combs, this year was even better.
"All of the support we got from our other athletic teams running on Elm Street was incredible," said Combs. "When they led that cheer as we were driving through, it sent a chill down my spine. That was one of the coolest moments in my 25 years here at Wilmington College."
Wilmington has a week off before it runs against home on Oct. 30, this time for the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championships.
