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MCC FINISH: 2nd Place AWARDS: NAIA National Qualifier - Jordan Smeltzer, NAIA National Qualifier - Oscar Joses Kirwa, All MCC - Jordan Smeltzer, All MCC - Oscar Joses Kirwa, All MCC - Daniel Zelaya, NAIA Scholar-Athlete - Josh Delp, NAIA Scholar-Athlete - Jake GunderKline
YOUTH EXPLOSION - Twelve of the 20 members of the 2012 Maple Leafs were either freshman or sophomores. In all seven of the team's events, an underclassman was the first Goshen competitor to cross the finish line and in the majority, they made up six of the top seven.
SLIMMEST OF MARGINS - The Leafs finished four points behind Huntington at the MCC Championships. Then, they heard they had been awarded the title and a qualifying spot at NAIA Nationals due to a disqualification only to learn it was not to be and the original four-point deficit would stand. While the day provided a roller coaster, it also provided a sign of things to come with all seven of the Leafs top runner slated to return next season.
NATIONAL STAGE - For the first time since 1983, a pair of male Goshen runners competed at the same NAIA Cross Country Championships.
HIGHLIGHTS:
HOKUM TITLE (9/3) - The Maple Leafs took second, third, and sixth on way to a victory in the season opener, a unique event which pits teammates together to alternate one-mile increments. Read More
SHOWCASED AT GRACE (9/10) - In their first traditional event of the year, Goshen bested three other MCC competitors taking the team title. Freshman Daniel Zelaya (Elkhart, Ind.) won his first individual event as Maple Leafs finished one, two, and four and totaled just 31 total points. Read More
LOADED FIELD (10/8) - At the Bethel Invitational, the Leafs took fourth in a field of 12, which included three nationally ranked programs. Read More
FRESHMAN TAKES TITLE (10/17) - The top five were all within 1:18 of each other, but the story of the Manchester Invitational was Jordan Smeltzer (New Paris, Ind.) getting his first collegiate individual title. Through six events, he had never finished below sixth place overall. Read More
SIGN OF THINGS TO COME (10/22) - A total of 72 teams and 600 runners (men's and women's) were on hand as the Maple Leafs took eighth place at the NAIA Great Lakes Invitational. Ten men's team in the race appeared in the NAIA National Poll showcasing one of the best event fields in the country. Read More
OH, SO CLOSE (11/7) - The Leafs finished just four points behind MCC Champion Huntington University in one of the closest conference championships in MCC history. Despite a heartbreaking team runner-up finish, three Goshen competitors finished in the top 15 (Oscar Joses Kirwa, Smeltzer, Zelaya) to earn all conference honors. Read More
NATIONAL ATTENTION (11/19) - Kirwa and Smeltzer took on a field of over 300 runners in Vancouver (Wash.) at the NAIA National Championships. Both finished in the top one-third of the pack, while gaining valuable experience with a tightly-bunched pack race. Read More
