Goshen, IN — The Goshen College homecoming weekend festivities moved slightly off campus Saturday for the Goshen College Invitational, as the annual cross country meet was held at Shanklin Park near the city’s downtown. Facing Mid-Central Conference and neighboring rival Bethel College in the dual meet, it was sophomore Nick Adkins that shined brightest, winning individual medalist honors with a time of 26:27.0, his best clip of the young season.

“Nick took control of the race from the beginning and pushed the pace throughout the race to pull away more as the race continued,” said Doug Yoder, Goshen head coach.

Adkins most serious challenge came from the Pilots’ Peter Ryan, but at a finishing time of 27:00.0, Adkins’ nearest competitor was over a half minute off the pace.
Sophomore Jake Gillette ran in a strong third-place position for the majority of the event, but cramps late in the race allowed Bethel’s Kyle Steury to move ahead, pushing Gillette to fourth in a time of 28:12.0, 13 seconds off Steury’s late move.

“Jake was running well throughout most of the race until he suffered cramps in the last one and a half miles,” Yoder said. “That slowed him at the end quite a bit.”

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the afternoon came in the form of senior Aaron Aeschliman, who finished third for the Leafs and 10th overall in a time of 30:04.0. According to Yoder, Aeschliman is just beginning to find his literal stride after being shelved for most of the pre-season with an ankle injury.

“Aaron is just now starting to compete, and his peformance was probably the biggest surprise of the meet for us,” Yoder said. “It will be exciting to see what a little more experience and conditioning will do for Aaron.”

The meet was actually slated to include four teams, but a pair of entries withdrew just days prior to the event, making it a dual meet between Goshen and Bethel. The Pilots took the team trophy, garnering 23 total points to Goshen’s 38.

“It is unfortunate that two other teams pulled out at the beginning of the week,” Yoder said. “It would have made for a better overall meet.”

Size will be no issue at Goshen’s next meet, as the team will travel to Benedictine University for the Benedictine Eagle Invitational on Friday. The men’s race is slated to begin at 4:15 p.m.

Goshen Individual Results
Nick Adkins (1st) — 26:27.0
Jake Gillette (4th) — 28:12.0
Aaron Aeschilman (10th) — 30:04.0
Alex Bouwman (11th) — 30:40.0
Sam Moyer (12th) — 30:50.0
Jason Young (13th) — 36:44.0
Lucas Vachon (14th) — 36:48.0