WILMINGTON, Ohio – The Wilmington College women's cross country team returns home to host the seventh annual JennaStrong Fall Classic on Friday.
The Race: The five-kilometer race is scheduled to begin at approximately 4:30 p.m.
The Teams: Wilmington will be joined by fellow Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) members Capital University, Marietta College and Muskingum University. Other NCAA Division III schools in attendance include: Bluffton University, Kenyon College, Mount St. Joseph University, Spalding University, Wittenberg University and the College of Wooster. 27 other schools will also be in attendance, notably NCAA Division I schools Ohio State University, St. Bonaventure University and Northern Kentucky University.
The Coach: Ron Combs is in his 24th 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 Runners: Wilmington has not run a five-kilometer course yet this season, but has competed in consecutive six-kilometer meets over the past month. A pair of freshmen – Sydney Yontz and Milena Wahl – have led the Fightin' Quakers in those meets with times of 24:38.6 (Ohio Wesleyan Invitational) and 24:46.0 (All-Ohio Intercollegiate Championships) respectively. Sophomore Katie Hughes was the next Wilmington individual to finish in both meets.
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.
Social Media: Follow Wilmington athletics on social media! The Fightin' Quakers have a presence on Facebook (Wilmington College Athletics) as well as Twitter and Instagram (@DubCQuakers).
Coverage: Live results and live video of the meet will be available – visit the links above. Fans are also encouraged to tune into a Facebook Live video from the gator leading the competitors on the course.
Up Next: Wilmington hosts Muskingum University in a dual meet next Friday.
