Complete OAC Cross Country Awards (.pdf)

BEREA, OHIO --  Baldwin-Wallace College junior Kenny Janosko (Mentor) has been named as the Ohio Athletic Conference Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year (announced today, Friday, December 2, 2011).  He is the second Yellow Jacket to earn that acclaim.

Janosko won the award by virtue of his runner-up finish at the 2011 OAC Championship Meet and being the OAC's top finisher at the All-Ohio Championship, NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region and NCAA Division III National Championship meets.  He joins B-W All-American and distance great Tim Budic, who accomplished the feat in 2000.

"This is a tremendous honor for Kenny and it is well-deserved," said veteran Yellow Jacket Track & Cross Country Coach Dr. Bill Taraschke. "He was our leader at every race this season and from the middle of the season to the end of the season, he was the top runner in the OAC."

"In each of the past three seasons, Kenny has made outstanding strides and is just now beginning to really realize his potential as a runner," said Taraschke. "He is such a hard worker and an outstanding role model and leader in our program.  We are very pleased for Kenny, his family and our entire Yellow Jacket program."

Janosko led the B-W men in every race this season as well as finishing in the Top-10 in six of eight meets. He placed first of 30 runners at The College of Wooster Invitational in Wooster with a time of 21:36.89 for four miles. 

At the All-Ohio Championship Meet at Cedarville University on September 30, Janosko was fourth individually of 147 Division III runners and completed the 8K course in 26:03.20. At the OAC Championship Meet at Ohio Northern University on October 30, Janosko was the runner-up of 156 total runners as he crossed the finish line of the 8K course in 25:44.8.  At the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Meet at Oberlin College on November 12,  Janosko earned his second straight All-Great Lakes Region finish (Top-35 runners) and qualified for his first NCAA national appearance by finishing sixth of 243 total runners on the 8K course in a season-best time of 24:56. At Division III National Championship Meet on Nov. 19 at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Janosko placed 66th of 279 total runners and covered the 8K course in 25:02.

This marks the second straight season that a Yellow Jacket cross country runner has been selected as runner of the year.  Last year, graduated Division III All-American Kim Chinn was named as the Co-Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year.

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