The men’s team sweeps the conference championship on top.

By Katie Sell, Staff Writer 

November 7th marked an important feat for the men’s cross country team.  Out of 10 teams, Huntington took the number one spot, claiming the champion title at the Crossroads League Championship.  Five foresters placed top 12 in the collegiate 8k: Adrien Gentie at #2, Elijah Chesterman at #6, Kent Yoder #9, Reece Gibson #10, and Haile Stutzmen coming in #12.  Junior Aaron Hendrix and freshman Austin Liepe followed closely behind collecting 17th and 18th place respectively. 

Huntington came out on top with an accumulative score of 40, separating themselves from 2nd place team Taylor by 9 points.  Points are determined by adding the top five runners places together, this was significant for the Foresters as they beat out the no. 1 nationally ranked team.  This accomplishment was the first in 9 years, with the last conference championship under HU’s belt dating back to 2011.  

The men’s success can be partly accredited to head coach Nick Johnson, who himself earned the Conference Coach of the Year for the second year in a row.  Johnson’s band of top 5 runners all secured their spots on the All-Conference Team: Gentie, Chesterman, Yoder, Gibson, and Stutzmen. 

Other runners who played a valuable part on the team include: Ahrens, Bickel, Edwards, and Busz.  “Our guys were excited to run against the top team in the nation and that was definitely reflected in our top seven finishing in front of Taylor’s five” says Coach Johnson.  The success brings great promise for the spring track season, where we hope to see Foresters come out on top once again.