*Story by David Wahl III
WILMINGTON, Ohio - The Wilmington College men's cross country team is writing history for Wilmington College. For the first time in school history, the team is sending three individuals to compete at the Division III Cross Country National Championships. Last season, the team saw one lone individual qualify, and added two more this year.
The 2022 Cross Country National Championships will be hosted by Olivet College. The race will be run at Forest Akers East Golf Course in Lansing, Michigan.
The Race: The men's championship 8,000-meter race will shoot off at noon.
The Competition: The Quaker Trio will go head-to-head against other qualifying individuals and teams from across the country.
The Coach: Ron Combs enters 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 Trio: Simon Heys, Noah Tobin and George Rickett make up the history-making trio. All three individuals finished top-15 at the Great Lakes Regional Championship and earned All-Region honors. Heys finished second (24.22.8), Tobin placed 12th (24:35.7) and Rickett was 15th (24:43.3). Heys is familiar with the championship atmosphere after taking fifth-place last season at DIII Nationals, however, Tobin in his junior season and Rickett in his final season will experience it for the first time.
Coverage: Live results link will be listed above and results will be posted after the conclusion of the race.
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 will finish out the 2022 cross country season and switch the focus to indoor track in the winter.
