2014 MCC Finish: 3rd out of 6
Letterwinners returning/lost: 8/4

Notable returners:
Ochaung Akway Sr. St. Paul, Minn.
(First-team all-conference, season-best 8K 26:40)
Zach Johnson So. Decatur, Ill.
(Letterwinner, season-best 8K 29:34)
Tyler Connelly So. Trenton, Texas
(Letterwinner, season-best 8K 29:21)
Garrett Heckman So. New Virginia, Iowa
(Letterwinner, season-best 8K 29:53)

Notable losses:
Yonas Desta
(Letterwinner)
Saromo Mugisha
(Honorable-mention all-MCC)
Nick Thomas
(Four-time letterwinner)

Notable newcomers:
Cody Miller Fr. Boulder, Colo.
Logan Hoschek Fr. Burlington, Iowa
Cameron Shade Fr. Riverdale, Ga.
Tian Siggins Jr. Atlantic, Iowa

The William Penn men’s cross country team will look to roll recent success into its new conference as the 2015 season is just around the corner.

Coach Sean Gosewisch guided the Statesmen to a bronze at last year’s Midwest Collegiate Conference Championships, and talented returners will be joined by a solid recruiting class to make the navy and gold a real threat in the new Heart of America Athletic Conference.

Ochaung Akway (Sr., St. Paul, Minn., Physical Education) will head the returning pack after qualifying for nationals in 2014. The senior had a top time of 26:40 on an 8K course. Sophomores Garrett Heckman (New Virginia, Iowa, Mechanical Engineering), Zach Johnson (Decatur, Ill., Mechanical Engineering), and Tyler Connelly (Trenton, Texas, Software Engineering) will also don the school colors again and expect to improve with a year of experience at their disposal. All three are expected to continue to lower their times after easily breaking the 30-minute barrier as freshmen.

Carlos Lizama (Jr., Victorville, Calif., Physical Education) and Jeremy Mooney (Jr., Clinton, Iowa, Physical Education) return as well to provide upperclassmen leadership.

The newbie quartet of Cody Miller (Fr., Boulder, Colo., History/Government), Logan Hoschek (Fr., Burlington, Iowa, Undecided), Cameron Shade (Fr., Riverdale, Ga., Sociology), and Tian Siggins (Jr., Atlantic, Iowa, Physical Education) are all highly touted and should step right in and compete well for WPU.

Schedule/Conference

The 2015 schedule begins with a trip to South Dakota for the Augustana Twilight on September 4. A conservative racing schedule will include four more competitions before William Penn hosts the Heart Championships on November 7 out at the Lacey Complex. Baker slipped past Central Methodist for last year’s Heart crown.

Story provided by Wade Steinlage