*Story by David Wahl III
WILMINGTON, Ohio - After a week full of rain, the day stayed dry enough for most of the 2021 Ohio Athletic Conference Men's Cross Country championship race. Hosting the conference meet for the first time since 2012, it was like a case of deja vu' for the Wilmington College men's cross country team. Just as it did in 2012, the Fightin' Quakers placed fourth, but this time on a muddy course. Wilmington scored 120 points, but John Carroll University came away with its first title in program history with 25 points. Otterbein University (52 points) and the University of Mount Union (86 points) took second and third place respectively.
The men's team saw two performances of the day. Simon Heys crossed the line in 25:29 for seventh place and a spot on First Team All-Conference honors. This was hard fought for Heys, as he ran the middle portion of the race without a shoe. Less than a minute behind, and running a personal best in the eight-kilometer race, Noah Tobin finished in 19th in a time of 26:17 while receiving Second Team All-Conference honors. The Quakers made it a close one with Ohio Northern, but final surges and kicks from the team's top five solidified the spot for the squad.
The Quakers will head to Shelbyville, Indiana on November 13th for the Great Lakes Regional Meet.
