IU East wins RSC Men's Cross Country Championship 2022
IU East wins RSC Men's Cross Country Championship 2022
RESULTS (MEN'S 8K)
KOKOMO, Ind. -- Indiana University East captured the 2022 River States Conference Men's Cross Country Championship with a very strong performance on Saturday, Nov. 5 from Kokomo, Ind. The Red Wolves claimed their first conference title in program history by coming out on top of the race hosted by Indiana University Kokomo.
IU East was way out in front of the rest of the teams with a championship total of 36 points. The Red Wolves put four runners in the Top 10 individually, and they claimed seven of the 14 all-conference spots overall. IU East had three earn All-RSC First Team honors among the top seven finishers and four more on the All-RSC Second Team.
IU East, which is "receiving votes" in the NAIA Top 25 Poll, had its pack near the front of the race. Tucker Burris led the way finishing fourth overall with Teagan Rodriguez right behind in fifth. Richard Bower was seventh followed nearby with Wyatt Black in ninth, Chance Klipstine in 11th, Mylan Nocton in 13th and Braden Coate in 14th to round out the all-conference honorees.
IU East earned the RSC's automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship, which will be held Nov. 18 in Tallahassee, Fla.
IU Kokomo claimed runner-up in the team standings. The Cougars had 73 points and a couple of Top-10 placements with Luis Saldana in sixth and Cyrus Felger in 10th.
Ohio Christian University placed third with 88 points. The Trailblazers had Drake Dickerson second overall to lead the way.
Jacob Kocis from Midway (Ky.) University was the individual standout of the race. He won the 8,000-meter race by 20 seconds with a time of 26:25. That earned him RSC Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year honors as he led the All-RSC First Team. Midway also had Josiah Kocis in eighth place to get all-conference second team.
The top four individual finishers not from team champion IU East qualified individually for the NAIA national championship. Those runners were Kocis placing first overall from Midway, Dickerson placing second overall from Ohio Christian, Tyler Jenkins placing third overall from Rio Grande and Saldana placing sixth overall from IU Kokomo.
Rio Grande's Jenkins earned RSC Men's Cross Country Newcomer of the Year honors. The freshman ran a time of 26:54.
Cam Tiberg was voted RSC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year.
The RSC Men's Cross Country Champions of Character Team was awarded. That featured one member from each team who best represents respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship.
The RSC Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete Team was also named with those having a 3.25 GPA or higher and at least two semester of attendance at their school prior to the current term.
For the complete listing of awards, see below.
RSC MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS & AWARDS
Team Champion -- Indiana University East
Team Runner-up -- Indiana University Kokomo
RSC Runner of the Year -- Jacob Kocis, Midway (Ky.)
RSC Newcomer of the Year -- Tyler Jenkins, Rio Grande (Ohio)
RSC Coach of the Year -- Cam Tiberg, IU East
ALL-RSC MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY FIRST TEAM
**NAIA individual national qualifier
| Name |
School |
| Jacob Kocis** |
Midway University |
| Drake Dickerson** |
Ohio Christian University |
| Tyler Jenkins** |
University of Rio Grande |
| Tucker Burris |
Indiana University East |
| Teagen Rodriquez |
Indiana University East |
| Luis Saldana** |
Indiana University East |
| Richard Bower |
Indiana University East |
ALL-RSC MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY SECOND TEAM
| Name |
School |
| Josiah Kocis |
Midway University |
| Wyatt Beck |
Indiana University East |
| Cyrus Felger |
Indiana University Kokomo |
| Chance Klipstine |
Indiana University East |
| Danuel Persinger |
University of Rio Grande |
| Mylan Nocton |
Indiana University East |
| Braden Coate |
Indiana University East |
RSC MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONS OF CHARACTER TEAM
| School |
Name |
| Alice Lloyd College |
Micah Blankenship |
| Brescia University |
Brody Kurz |
| Indiana University East |
Caden Shumaker |
| Indiana University Kokomo |
Nathan Lozoya |
| Midway University |
Ethan Tomasso |
| Oakland City University |
Merdi Ilonga |
| Ohio Christian University |
Corry Mientkiewicz |
| Point Park University |
John Ziegler |
| Saint Mary of the Woods College |
Jonathan Hayden |
| University of Rio Grande |
Jason Springer |
| West Virginia University Institute of Technology |
Nathan Morton |
RSC MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY SCHOLAR-ATHLETE TEAM
| School |
Name |
| Alice Lloyd College |
Micah Blankenship |
| Alice Lloyd College |
Koby Proffitt |
| Brescia University |
James Barrow |
| Indiana University East |
Caden Shumaker |
| Indiana University East |
Chance Klipstine |
| Indiana University East |
Alexander Ludwig |
| Indiana University Kokomo |
Nicholas Anders |
| Indiana University Kokomo |
Drew Caldwell |
| Indiana University Kokomo |
Alex Carie |
| Indiana University Kokomo |
Ethan Carmean |
| Indiana University Kokomo |
Nathan Lozoya |
| Indiana University Kokomo |
Caleb Vogl |
| Indiana University Kokomo |
Bryce Jennings |
| Midway University |
Cameron Wallis |
| Midway University |
Jacob Kocis |
| Midway University |
Josiah Kocis |
| Midway University |
Luke Logan |
| Ohio Christian University |
Evan Caldwell |
| Ohio Christian University |
Chester Mientkiewicz |
| Point Park University |
John Dyar |
| Point Park University |
Ramiro Ulunque |
| Point Park University |
Jannik Windelband |
| Point Park University |
Dominic Zucco |
| Point Park University |
Treven Carter |
| Point Park University |
Deven Carter |
| Point Park University |
John Zeigler |
| Saint Mary of the Woods College |
Thomas Chapman |
| Saint Mary of the Woods College |
Jonathan Hayden |
| Saint Mary of the Woods College |
Dylan Stillwell |
| Saint Mary of the Woods College |
Zachary Weir |
| University of Rio Grande |
Austin Setty |
| University of Rio Grande |
Tristan Janey |
| University of Rio Grande |
Kyle Lightner |
| University of Rio Grande |
Matthew Spetnagel |
| University of Rio Grande |
Jason Springer |
| West Virginia University Institute of Technology |
John Nicely |
| West Virginia University Institute of Technology |
Nathan Morton |