The 2023 Kenyon cross country season began with the Owls Opener in Gambier, featuring Denison University, Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) and Kenyon. Both teams finished in second place with impressive individual performances across the board. 

Men: In the men’s 5K race, the Owls finished just a point behind OWU. Kenyon runners secured two of the top four positions and three of the top six, with Denison being the only other school to have multiple top-six individual finishers. Captain Keegan Minahan ’24 led Kenyon, finishing third with a time of 16:34.97. Arthur Wellenstein ’27 had a strong collegiate debut, taking fourth place at 16:35.26, and Joshua Breard ’26 followed closely behind, securing sixth place with a time of 16:45.07.

Kenyon’s other scoring runners finished in 12th and 15th places out of 43 total participants. Peter Bernhardt ’25 crossed the finish line at 17:02.58, while Owen Rodstrom ’26 posted a time of 17:13.61.

Women: In the women’s 4K race, first-years accounted for three of Kenyon’s top-five finishes. Olivia Ide ’27 delivered an impressive individual second-place finish in her first collegiate race with a time of 15:32.49. Anna Brown ’26 also performed admirably, securing fourth place at 15:36.47.

Kenyon’s remaining three scoring runners demonstrated consistent performances, all finishing within 10 seconds of each other. Penny Griffioen ’27 finished 13th with a time of 16:50.52, Jada Swearingen ’24 secured 16th place with a time of 16:58.70 and Eva Shannon ’27 concluded Kenyon’s scoring with an 18th-place finish, clocking in at 17:00.90.

The Owls have two weeks to prepare for the upcoming All-Ohio Championship at Cedarville University on Sept. 15.