LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Simon Heys became the first Wilmington College cross country runner to earn All-America honors as the sophomore placed fifth Saturday at the NCAA Division III Men’s Cross Country Championship at Tom Sawyer State Park.
“This was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen,” WC cross country coach Ron Combs said. “Simon [Heys] is such a humble person and is very deserving of every honor he gets.”
Heys, who won the Pre-Nationals meet on the same course in early October, ran a time of 23:57.0, in the eight-kilometer national race, edging out the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s David Fassbender by a tenth of a second. His time marked the fastest eight-kilometer time in WC cross country history and the first time an individual has broken the 24:00 mark.
John Carroll University’s Alex Phillip won the national championship with a time of 23:27.6.
Hey, a graduate of Wilmington High School, felt the presence of the contingent that was there to support him.
“Today was something like a dream for me,” said Heys. “I ran past all my goals this season, and having my team and family along for the ride made it that much better.”
