*Story by David Wahl III
WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's cross country team hosts the JennaStrong Fall Classic in Wilmington on Friday, October 14. The race, formerly known as the Wilmington Fall Classic, is now named in honor of Jenna Parlette. "Run with your legs, win with your heart."
The Race: The eight-kilometer race will start early evening at 5:15 p.m. A link to the course map can be found above.
The Teams: Wilmington will be joined by 32 other schools including the following NCAA Division III members: Wabash College, the College of Wooster, Hanover College, Transylvania University, Earlham College, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Marietta College, Mount St. Joseph University Muskingum University, Berea College and Spalding University.
The Coach: Ron Combs is in his 27th 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 Squad: Wilmington will enter the race looking to build upon a great performance at the Pre-Nationals Meet in East Lansing, Michigan, to begin October. The Quakers finished eighth as a team with Simon Heys (24:35.8) and Noah Tobin (25:07.3) leading the way with top-20 finishes. George Rickett, Eric Reynolds and Tate Yoder rounded out the team's top five performances.
National Ranking: Thanks largely to its performance in Michigan, Wilmington is No. 26 in the most recent USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll.
Race Namesake: Formerly the Wilmington Fall Classic, this meet got renamed in honor of former Wilmington runner Jenna Parlette in 2013. Parlette, a member of the women's cross country team, was leading a race at Franklin College in the fall of 2013 only to collapse with the finish line in sight. She passed away three days later. "Run with your legs, win with your heart."
Coverage: Live results link will be listed above and results will be posted after the conclusion of the race. Video links for both the finish line and the pace gator are available via the links above.
Social Media: Wilmington athletics is represented on Facebook (Wilmington College Athletics), Twitter (@DubCQuakers) and Instagram (@DubCQuakers). Follow all the happenings of Wilmington College on social media by using the hashtag "#WeAreDubC".
Up Next: Wilmington has another week off before heading to New Concord, Ohio, and Muskingum University for the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championships on Saturday, Oct. 29.
