BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University men's cross country team will continue to make strides in the Ohio Athletic Conference in 2017 under the direction of third year Head Coach Joe Eby.
BW finished sixth in the 2016 OAC Championships while also sending five runners to the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional Championships where the team finished 22nd overall. The Yellow Jackets were predicted to finish sixth again this year in the OAC Preseason Poll.
Seniors Brady Jeffers (South Amherst/Firelands) and Dylan Tanner (Mentor) will bring their three years of experience back to the course this year to improve on personal bests and make a lasting impression during their final season.
Sophomore Isaac Wilson (Tylersburg, Pa./North Clarion) had an impressive showing at the 2016 OAC Championships, placing 21st out of 143 runners with a time of 26:58.2 while Tanner also turned in a career-best time of 27:27.6 to finish 35th.
Juniors Spencer Mahon (North Royalton), Phil Spronz (Strongsville) and sophomore Nick Irwin (Westlake) round out the returning portion of the roster. Irwin, Mahon, Tanner and Wilson all competed in the Great Lakes Regionals a season ago and look to bring that postseason experience back to the course this year.
Nine freshmen join the team for their first year. Nash Augustus (Baldwinsville, N.Y.), Matt Floyd (Cincinnati/Cincinnati Christian), Daniel Heard (Shaker Heights), Josh Hickmott (Clay, N.Y./Liverpool), Andrew Krupp (Ottawa Hills), Jose Reynoso (Painesville/Harvey), Spencer Roberts (West Seneca, N.Y./West), Larry Salerno (Mentor) and Ben Szymanski (Lake View, N.Y./Frontier) will learn from the upperclassmen and all will look to have an immediate impact this fall.
The Yellow Jackets open the 2017 season on Friday, September 1, when they travel to Wooster to compete in the annual College of Wooster Invitational. Cedarville University will host the All-Ohio Division III Championships on Friday, September 29, while Heidelberg University will host the OAC Championships on Saturday, October 28.
