The men’s and women’s cross country teams ran their final regular season race of the year on Nov. 6 at Huntington University.  This race, the Crossroads League Championship, was the final factor in determining which teams would qualify for the National Championship. There were 10 teams in both the men’s and women’s races. The top finishing team in each race would automatically qualify for nationals. and the remaining teams would rely on a panel of national raters to vote them in. Erica Gunden, a senior, said, “I had more pre-race anxiety than any other meet this season.”  Liam Minielly, a...

By Dakota Cain • November 11, 2021 • Sports

As we welcome November and decreasing temperatures, fall sports at Goshen College have begun to come to a close. However, the women’s soccer team and the men’s and women’s cross country teams are the last ones standing for the Maple Leafs.  The women’s soccer team was able to clinch a Crossroads League tournament spot with their 3-0 shutout win against Huntington on Tuesday afternoon. Head coach Justin Crew said, “It’s been an up and down season, we have had some highs and some lows, however, I believe we continue to move in the right direction as a program.” This is...

By Graysen Cockerham • November 4, 2021 • Sports

Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams broke records at the Great Lakes Challenge in Grand Rapids last weekend. The top five runners on the women’s team broke the school record set in 2002 with a time of 97.44 (scored by adding together the finishing times of the top 5 GC finishers), breaking the previous record of 99.06. The group was made up of Annika Fisher, Naomi Richer, Summer Cooper, Stephany Claudio, and Ariana Perez Diener.  On the men’s side, Nelson Kemboi broke the Goshen College record for the fastest 8km (5 mi) run with a time of 24.38...

By Dakota Cain • October 28, 2021 • Sports

The Goshen College men’s and women’s cross country teams traveled to the E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park in Kentucky this past weekend to run in the 20th Annual Louisville Cross Country Classic. Competing in the Blue Race division, season-best and career-best records were shattered by numerous GC athletes and the teams returned home in high spirits.  Head coach Rustin Nyce said, “Louisville is always a big opportunity for us to compete against many of the best regional teams.” “In the past, we have felt like we had already run our best races, but we are now starting to put some...

By Graysen Cockerham • October 7, 2021 • Sports

The Goshen College men’s cross country team ran over a minute faster at their race last Friday, Sept. 24, than they did at this time last year. For a team seeking to continue its two-year streak of qualifying NAIA for the National Championship, that is  a good sign.   Goshen’s top five runners (Nelson Kemboi, Liam Elias, Jackson Steinmetz, Jordan Garlinger, and Edwin Kimutai) covered the 8-kilometer course at their second meet of the season in Findlay, Ohio, in a combined 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 39 seconds.   “That’s not just a little faster,” said Rustin Nyce, head coach for the...

By Sierra Ross Richer • September 30, 2021 • Sports

The Goshen College cross country team introduced a new face to their coaching staff with the addition of Anna Mast this season. Mast is a 2008 GC graduate, and ran cross country and track during her time here. Head cross country coach Rustin Nyce praised Mast for what she brings to the table. “Anna brings great experience relating to college students as a previous business owner and employer of college students,” he said. “She also competed here at GC, so that adds to her expertise and she relates very well to the student-athletes and provides specific mentorship to the women’s...

By Gabe Kermode • September 9, 2021 • Sports

On Friday, April 9, the Goshen College men’s cross country team competed at the NAIA National Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They finished 22nd in the nation. This is the story of the runners and how they did it.   The huddle of seven runners formed a purple polka-dot on the field spotted with teams in every color of the rainbow. It was a few minutes before 12:30 p.m. and humid, but not raining, although rain from the day before had already turned the ground to mud. The air was thick with energy.    “One, two three, Huwezi kufa!” The team from...

By Sierra Ross Richer • April 15, 2021 • Features

Jackson Steinmetz was eating dinner out of his green box in Schrock Plaza Mar. 30 when the notification he had been waiting for popped up on his phone: a Zoom invite from his coach, Rustin Nyce. Steinmetz joined the other members of the men’s cross country team on the call and waited nervously for the verdict. After a few minutes, Nyce’s face appeared on the screen. “I’m not going to be able to sleep until after Nationals,” the head coach for cross country and track and field announced. The team had qualified for the Men’s Cross Country National Championship in...

By Sierra Ross Richer • April 9, 2021 • News

In the interim between the indoor and outdoor track seasons, Goshen College runners turned their attention to longer distance runs on a trip to Iowa last weekend. They returned with top two finishes in each of the three races they entered. On Saturday, the men’s and women’s cross country teams laced up their spikes and hit the grass course at the Mustang National Preview meet in Cedar Rapids, more than three months after the last race of their season in November. This year, the cross country season — which is normally contained to the fall — was extended to include...

By Sierra Ross Richer • March 25, 2021 • Sports

Though Salvador Escamilla is often seen running across campus, sporting a “Running Sucks” T-shirt, he takes running very seriously. But after recent trouble with a nagging pain in the heel, he decided to spend a few days training on his bike. And soon, Escamilla’s love for running was compromised. While riding down the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail he collided with a pickup truck as he crossed a road. The impact sent him flying off his bike and left him in bad shape. Despite the injuries, he remained conscious, and as people arrived at the scene he said, “I’ve got to race.”...

By Jackson Steinmetz • November 19, 2020 • Sports

The Goshen College men’s cross country team traveled to Marian, Indiana on Friday, November 6 where they competed in the Crossroads League Championship.  The highlight of the weekend was when Goshen College sophomore Nelson Kemboi was crowned Crossroads League champion, posting a time of 25 minutes and 4.9 seconds in the 8k race. Kemboi crossed the finish line five seconds faster than his next opponent.  Kemboi’s time hoisted him to the eighth fastest time in program history. Kemboi has also set the mark for the fastest time as a sophomore ever recorded by a Maple Leaf.  “Winning the Crossroads League...

By William Troyer • November 12, 2020 • Sports

Despite the rise in confirmed cases of COVID-19 among Goshen College athletic teams, the men’s and women’s cross country teams have continued their season as planned. The men’s cross country team was off to an impressive start in the early portion of the season, finishing sixth of 18 teams at Indiana Wesleyan University’s Twilight Classic back on Sep. 11. First-year GC runner Nelson Kemboi nearly broke into the record books with an impressive time of 26:12 on the nearly five-mile course.  To crack the top 50, Kemboi would need to hit 25:57.2. After almost a month of inactivity due to...

By Dante Stanton • October 15, 2020 • Sports

Just one race into the 2020 fall season, the Goshen College men’s cross country team has cracked the top 25 in the coaches’ preseason poll.  The Goshen College Maple Leafs, along with four additional Crossroads League opponents, landed in the top 25. As of Oct. 1, the Goshen College men’s cross country team finds themselves sitting at 18th in the nation.  Head coach Rustin Nyce talked about the preseason ranking.  “Preseason rankings are nice, but we find more significance on rankings based on performance,” he said. “Being ranked in the preseason does show that Goshen is respected nationally.” The preseason...

By William Troyer • October 8, 2020 • Sports

In August, the National Association of Intercollegiate Associations announced championships for fall and winter sports would be moved to spring 2021.  These changes will affect indoor track and field, men’s and women’s basketball, with their championships moved to next March.  In addition, cross country, men’s and women’s volleyball, and women’s soccer championship games will take place in April, with men’s soccer and tennis set for May. This change, as a result of COVID-19, has altered the fall sports seasons, ultimately posing the question, “How will the teams deal with this?” “We are saving some of our eight races for the...

By Gabe Kermode • September 17, 2020 • Sports

The Goshen College cross country team was tested for COVID-19 last Thursday, Aug. 27, becoming the first Maple Leaf athletic team to do so. All results came back negative. By Thursday, Sept. 2,  all fall athletic teams will have taken part in COVID-19 testing in anticipation of a Sept. 5 start. While the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics withdrew their COVID-19 test requirement for all athletes, the Crossroads League, of which Goshen College is a member, continues to plan carrying out testing. “The Crossroads League decided to test all fall athletes,” said Erica Albertin, interim athletic director. “The main reason...

By Gabe Kermode • September 3, 2020 • Sports