Men: In the 2023 NCAC Championship, the Kenyon men’s cross country team finished in seventh place. Two of its runners, Joshua Breard ’26 and Arthur Wellenstein ’27, earned All-NCAC Second Team honors by securing 13th and 14th place, respectively. Breard improved upon his 17th-place finish in last year’s conference championship, finishing with a time of 26:32.4. Wellenstein clocked in at 26:33.9, earning the men’s Newcomer of the Year award. Additionally, Peter Bernhardt ’25 (27:13.6), Sam Rabieh ’25 (27:34.3, a season-best) and Henry Rodrigues ’26 (27:40.1) all contributed to the Owls’ 139 point finish.

Wabash College won the team title, Oberlin College secured second place and Wittenberg University claimed third. 

In an email to the Collegian, Wellenstein highlighted the struggles that the team faced: “It was a challenging course, and the team places were largely decided within the first two miles,” he said. “The race was a good opportunity to reflect on the season in order to begin planning for future conferences. We have a young team, so there are definitely high hopes for the future.” 

Women: The Kenyon women’s cross country team finished in sixth place at the 2023 NCAC Championship, marking the Owls’ second-best performance of the season. Olivia Ide ’27 was the top performer for the team, earning a spot on the All-NCAC Third Team for her 21st-place finish. 

Ide crossed the finish line with a time of 23:56.4, becoming the first Kenyon first-year runner to earn All-NCAC honors since 2017. Anna Brown ’26 had the team’s second-best finish, securing 28th place with a time of 24:27.3 in her first 6K race of the season. Kenyon’s next three finishers, all first-year runners, had close finish times, with Penny Griffioen ’27 in 41st place (25:13.7), Eva Shannon ’27 in 43rd (25:24.5, a season-best) and Amelia Sims ’27 in 47th (25:25.2, also a season best).

Wittenberg University won the team title with 36 points, successfully defending its conference championship. Wittenberg held off DePauw University, which scored 39 points, securing second place for the second consecutive season. 

The team is set to compete in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship on Nov. 11, in Akron, Ohio, with the possibility of advancing to the NCAA Championship on Nov. 18.