Jenkins win leads Rio to 2nd place finish at RSC

Rio Grande Sports Information
     EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Tyler Jenkins took top honors individually and Duncan Kogei posted a third place to lead the University of Rio Grande men's cross country team in Saturday's River States Conference Championships at the Angel Mounds Cross Country Course.
     The eighth-ranked RedStorm came up short in their quest for a team title, though, with rival - and 19th-ranked - Shawnee State University (43 pts.) posting a scant four-point victory over head coach Matt Paxton's squad.
     Indiana University East, which was ranked No. 20 in the most recent NAIA coaches' poll, finished third with 56 points.
     Shawnee State, which had all five of its runners finish in the top 15, earned the league's automatic bid to the NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championship, which is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 22, at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo.
     However, as a result of their respective rankings, both Rio Grande and IU East are expected to receive at-large berths to the national meet when the field is announced on Monday.
     Jenkins, a junior from Barnesville, Ohio, completed the 8k course in 24:52, defeating IU East's Mylan Nocton by six seconds and, in the process earned first team all-conference and RSC Runner of the Year honors.
     Kogei, a freshman from Eldoret, Kenya, was named the RSC Newcomer of the Year after finishing third with a time of 25:03.
     Jenkins, Nocton, Kogei and Midway's Josiah Kocis - as the top four individual finishers who were not members of the winning team - also qualified for the national championship.
     Rio Grande's other representatives in the field of 103 competitors included freshman Wes Taylor (Lancaster, OH), who finished 12th in a time of 25:40; senior Danuel Persinger (Glouster, OH), who was 15th after crossing in 25:57; sophomore Kasy Science (Marietta, OH), who finished in 26:02 for 16th place; freshman Ryder Crawford (Owensville, OH), who was 20th with a time of 26:29; junior Mugisha Pomossene (Dayton, OH), who placed 21st with a mark of 26:29; graduate senior Kyle Lightner (Peebles, OH), who was 22nd after crossing in 26:37; freshman John Young (Leroy, OH), who snared 23rd place in a time of 26:48; freshman Anton Meinlschmidt (Weibeyoke, Germany), who was 27th after crossing in a mark of 27:08; sophomore Ashton Beverly (Chillicothe, OH), who was 30th in a time of 27:20; sophomore JJ Larue (Chillicothe, OH), who was 45th in a time of 28:26; freshman Eli Fliehman (Sabina, OH), who placed 50th in 28:39; freshman Jacob Faught (Georgetown, OH), who was 65th with a time of 29:42; freshman Caleb Hines (Chillicothe, OH), who finished in 29:56 for 72nd place; freshman David van Kuik (Utrecht, The Netherlands), who was 73rd with a time of 29:59; sophomore Nate Taylor (Corning, OH), who placed 94th with a mark of 32:43; and freshman Wyatt Webb (Gallipolis, OH), who was 100th after crossing in 36:35.
     By finishing among the top seven individuals, Jenkins, Nocton, Kogei and Kocis were all named to the All-RSC First Team. The list also included Isaiah Lanoy and Kaiden Lanoy of Shawnee State and IU East's Cameron Nocton.
     Positions 8-14 received Second Team All-RSC accolades.
     In addition to Wes Taylor from Rio, the group also included Trevor Lanoy, Shawn Little and Dylan French of Shawnee State; Thomas Chapman from St. Mary-of-the-Woods; Midway's Jacob Kocis; and Axton Fosnaugh of IU East.
     The All-RSC Third Team, comprised of finishers 15-21, included Persinger, Science, Crawford and Pomossene from Rio Grande; IU East's Teagen Rodriguez and Richard Bower; as well as Midway's Carson Milner.
     Shawnee State's Conner Flynn was named Coach of the Year.