*Story by David Wahl III
WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's cross country team had the top three finishers to win the JennaStrong Fall Classic for the second consecutive year on Friday evening. This marks a first for the Fightin' Quakers, as they have never finished 1-2-3 on their home turf. The squad scored 67 points and was trailed by runners from Miami University in second with 80 points and Cedarville rounding out the top three with 163 points.
The Quakers led from the gun as Simon Heys, George Rickett and Noah Tobin were packed together a mile into the race. Heys pulled away for his second win of the season in a time of 24:29. Rickett climbed the ranks as he claimed second place in a personal best time of 24:54. Rickett improved by over a minute in the same race from last season and placed five spots better. Tobin, a previous OAC Runner of the Week, climbed eight spots from last year with a third place finish in 24:58. For the first time this season, the Quakers had three runners under the 25-minute mark for the 8,000-meter race. Eric Reynolds (26:02) and Jackson Nagle (27:12) rounded out the scoring five for the squad.
"It was another great JennaStrong Fall Classic," Head Cross Country Coach Ron Combs said. "I am excited about the progression our team is making as we get closer to the championship meets. The atmosphere on our course today was amazing."
The Quakers prepare for the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championships on October 29th.
