Goshen, IN — The Goshen College men’s cross country squad may not have won the team championship at Saturday’s second annual Goshen College Hokum Karem, but the event may have provided head coach Doug Yoder with an interesting predicament.

Who, exactly, is the Leafs’ top runner in 2006?

“It’s a good problem to have as a coach,” Yoder said following the event’s conclusion. “We have four or five guys who, on any given day, can be our top runner. If anything, this type of event shows you what kind of depth you’ve got.”

Saturday’s Hokum Karem, while untraditional in race nature, gave fans and coaches much to chew on before the Leafs’ official season opening meet next Saturday. A relay-style race, runners are paired on teams and then take turns running one-mile increments. Each runner runs five one-mile jaunts, alternating between runs for a total 10-mile race per team. Each pair is then awarded a total time, with school’s top three pairs counting toward the team scores.

It was assumed by many that Goshen’s best pair would be juniors Nick Adkins and Jake Gillette, the Leafs’ top two runners for all of 2005. Saturday’s results proved otherwise, however, as sophomore David Rumsey and freshman Dietrich Eitzen finished in a team-best 54:22, 30 seconds better than Adkins-Gillette clip of 54:52.

“It’s a little bit hard to tell how guys will do individually (in regular meets) from just this race, but it’s a start,” Yoder said.

Goshen finished third overall — duplicating the team’s finish from last season’s inaugural Hokum Karem — charting 26 points, the sum of the team’s top three finishing pairs using overall finish marks. Tri-State University took the team trophy, collecting just nine points. Mid-Central Conference rival Huntington University placed second with 12 total points.

Rumsey and Eitzen led Goshen with an overall finish of seventh place, followed by Adkins and Gillette (ninth). Goshen’s other scoring tandem — senior Ramadhan Onyango and freshman Ben Bouwman — finished 10th overall in a time of 56:38.

Yoder said that while the event is always a fun way to kick off the season, his men’s team won’t get the true collegiate experience until next Saturday, when the Leafs open their official season at the Defiance College Invitational.

“It’s a lot easier for the women to adjust to the college level than the men, simply due to the distances (of normal cross country meets),” Yoder said. “Guys are used to running in 5ks in high school, so when you make the jump to 8k it’s a new adventure. Those last kilometers miles, that’s the part of the race you have to get used to.”

Tri-State tandem of Kowalski/Daniels won the individually paired blue ribbon, finishing first in a time of 52:21. Tri-State also occupied the second overall slot in a time of 52:49 (King/Toennies).

Goshen will take its collective talent and depth to its first traditional meet of the season Saturday, as the team will participate in the Defiance College Invitational. Start time for the men’s race is set for 11 a.m.

Goshen College Hokum Karem Official Results
September 2, 2006

Men’s Results
5 x 1 mile x 2 persons

1 Tri-State University 9
2 Huntington University 12
3 Goshen College 26
4 Grace College 31
5 Unattached --

Place Name School Team Position Time
1. Kowalski/Daniels, - TRI (1) 52:21.00
2. King/Toennies, - TRI (2) 52:49.00
3. Johnson/Diehl, - HUN (3) 53:00.00
4. Lehman/Njeri, - HUN (4) 53:34.00
5. Hannie/Lindbloom, - HUN (5) 53:35.00
6. Murray/Hogan, - TRI (6) 54:00.00
7. Rumsey/Eitzen, - GOS (7) 54:22.00
8. Adams/Wilson, - GRA (8) 54:35.00
9. Adkins/Gillette, - GOS (9) 54:52.00
10. B Bouwman/Onyango, - GOS (10) 56:38.00
11. Brown/Hurlock, - TRI (11)57:01.00
12. Bykowski/Mahoney, - TRI (12)57:20.00
13. Andrews/Barnett, - HUN (13)57:46.00
14. McGuire/Jennys, - GRA (14)57:47.00
15. Hogan/Rife, - TRI (15)58:14.00
16. Pixton/Wachtel, - GRA (16)58:29.00
17. Snyder/Camilo, - UNA (--)58:39.00
18. Schaber/Kagwanja, - HUN (17)59:19.00
19. Matuska/Mills, - TRI (18)60:06.00
20. A Bouwman/Moyer, - GOS (19)60:54.00
21. Roth/Guess, - GRA (20)63:25.00
22. Amos/Miller, - GOS (21)64:20.00
23. Hanfield/Omlor, - UNA (--)66:03.00
24. Newman/Stanley, - GRA (22)66:09.00
25. Stuckey/Kling, - GOS (23)68:23.00