Grand Rapids, Michigan - The men's cross country team used a dominating effort to repeat and claim the 2024 WHAC Cross Country Championship. The Saints placed eight athletes in the top 16 to yield the program its 17th WHAC title. Aquinas tallied 26 points and were 49 points ahead of second place Cornerstone. The win secures Aquinas an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championships that will be contested in two weeks.
Aquinas' pack was led by
Ben Hardy, who claimed second place overall with in a personal best time of 25:00. Ben earned All-WHAC First Team for his efforts. Joining Hardy with All WHAC First-Team accolades was
Edward Frey,
Ethan Barker and
Matthew Schieber. Frey placed 3rd in a time of 25:03, while Barker (25:27) and Schieber (25:34) finished in fifth and seventh place respectively.
Brian Langlois and
Juan David Hernandez were both named Second-Team All WHAC for their performances Friday afternoon. Langlois (25:39) placed ninth and Hernandez (25:51) crossed the line in 14th place. Sophomore
Austin Williford solidified the top seven with a time of 25:54 to finish in 15th place. Williford was also named Aquinas' Champion of Character representative. Another highlight for the Saints was freshman
Shema Reponse winning the WHAC's Newcomer of the Year award by placing 25th overall (26:26).
Head Coach
Mike Wojciakowski, who was named Men's Coach of the Year and Men's Coach of Character commented, "I loved how the guys competed today. The leaders got the race out a little hot, but it did not matter as the team showed great poise and composure. We did a great job of picking up spots over the final 3k of the race. I am really appreciative of our seniors who have showed great dedication and loyalty to the program and helped reestablish AQ at the top of the conference and relevant on the national scene. I am proud of the environment of hard work and a team first mentality that has been instilled. I'm looking forward to watching this group one more time in two weeks."
A total of 138 individuals competed from 12 different institutions.
The Saints will return to action on November 22nd as they travel to Columbia, Missouri to compete at the 2024 NAIA Men's Cross Country Championships.
