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Grand Rapids, MI — With a highly competitive, 140-man field comprising Saturday’s NAIA Region VIII Championship meet at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Goshen College men’s cross country team put up a very respectable showing in finishing ninth out of 14 teams.
Goshen also placed 12 of its 14 runners under the 30-minute plateau for the first time in program history, concluding its season on a high note.
“Our men’s team had a very good showing in a very tough field today,” said Doug Yoder, Goshen head coach. “Finishing ninth may not sound that impressive but as a team, we really ran well from top to bottom. As a coach, that’s what you’re always looking for.”
Sophomore and All-Mid-Central Conference performer Ben Bouwman again led the way for Goshen, finishing 34th overall in a time of 26:34.73. Junior David Rumsey wasn’t far behind — 45th place overall, 26:58.70 — while senior Nick Adkins may have posted the most impressive result of the entire Leafs’ squad. Finishing his career with a fury, Adkins finished third intra-squad — his highest mark of the year — running a clip of 27:06.33 for a 47th-place finish overall.
Adkins bettered that time only once this season in a 26:52.0 effort at the incredibly fast Manchester College Invitational (click here for related article).
“Nick finished out his GC cross country career with a very, very good run,” Yoder said. “He struggled the first two-thirds of the season and ran some of his best races the last several meets. It was good to see him close out with such a strong showing.”
Sadly, the same could not be said for Adkins’ four-year running mate Jake Gillette, as the senior fought illness for much of the week leading up to Saturday’s event. Gillette finished 74th overall — and a season-worst fifth within the Leafs’ ranks — in a time of 28:04.51.
“Jake closed out his career on a bittersweet note having battled a cold all week and not really performing up to his best abilities,” Yoder said. “He’s had an outstanding career, though, and an even better senior year. We will miss him greatly.”
Freshman Paul Versluis slid up to claim fourth for the Leafs’ on the day, finishing in 57th place in a time of 27:24.79. Goshen’s five scoring runners calculated for a team score of 241 points, bettering Bethel College (278), Marian College (291), Madonna University (358), Grace College (389) and Concordia University (403).
Aquinas College took the team championship, claiming four of the top 14 individual spots en route to a 48 point total. Cornerstone University’s Derek Scott won individual medalist honors, finishing in a time of 24:35.56. Complete results from the event can be viewed by clicking here.
For Goshen, the team will now turn to another important off-season, as the deep squad is prepped to return all but four athletes. Sophomore Dietrich Eitzen, freshman Robert Hooley, sophomore Andrew Brubaker and sophomore Max Wyse will all return next season, all of which broke the 30-minute barrier in Saturday’s meet.
“We have a very good pool of talent coming back, and we think we’ll be a deep team again next year,” Yoder said. “We’ll work hard in the off-season both in training and recruiting to try to alleviate the loss of some very good seniors.”
Check back to this website for the latest news and information regarding Goshen cross country during the off-season. To contact Doug Yoder, call him at (574) 535-7495 or click here to send him an email.
Goshen Individual Results
Ben Bouwman (34th) — 26:34.73
David Rumsey (45th) — 26:58.70
Nick Adkins (47th) — 27:06.33
Paul Versluis (57th) — 27:24.79
Jake Gillette (74th) — 28:04.51
Nick Bouwman (81st) — 28:08.58
Dietrich Eitzen (91st) — 28:46.00
Randy Keener (96th) — 29:08.64
Robert Hooley (100th) — 29:21.65
Andy Brubaker (101st) — 29:23.03
Ramadhan Onyango (110th) — 29:38.61
Max Wyse (113th) — 29:52.37
Mark Miller (116th) — 30:30.55
Jonathan Stuckey (118th) — 30:37.05
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Senior Nick Adkins 
Watch video highlights from this meet!