Men's Cross Country Retains Spot Atop OAC for 3rd Straight Season

10/28/2023 10:43:00 PM | By: Erica Esper, Senior Staff Writer

John Carroll showcased a dominant effort with four runners in the top five.

FINDLAY, Ohio – The John Carroll Men's Cross Country team etched their name in the record books today, earning their third straight conference title since 2021.

Full Individual and Team Results

"Today was a great day for the men's and women's programs," veteran senior Ethan Domitrovich exclaimed. "Our execution today was the epitome of the team aspect of XC and showed the importance of each and every runner on this team."

The Blue Streaks tallied a team total of 25 points, besting runner-up Ohio Northern by almost 50 points (73 total points). The most impressive part of the day, however, was how they accomplished it– they placed 4 runners in the top 5.

Domitrovich led the talented quartet of Blue Streaks (in only his second race of the season) to earn an individual runner-up place finish and First Team All-Conference honors in a time of 24:31.98.

Just 2.75 seconds later, junior Ryan Champa crossed the finish line for a top-3 place finish (24:34.73), also earning First Team All-Conference honors.

Fellow juniors Tommy Naiman (24:35.77) and Dominic Delmoro (24:36.21) piled in 4th and 5th place finishes for additional individual First-Team OAC honors, leaving only a 4.23 second spread between Domitrovich and Delmoro.

"Getting to work the front of the race with Dom, Tommy, and Champa was exactly what we hoped for," Domitrovich remarked.

"It is an amazing feeling," Champa added. "It is truly a testament of how we train and the bond that this team has with one another."

Despite these top-performances, the Blue Streaks still needed a fifth runner to earn the championship win.

Sophomore Isaac Bourne rose to the occasion, placing 11th in a time of 25:21.79 to seal the deal and crown the Blue Streaks OAC Champions. Coming back from injury, Bourne also earned himself Second Team All-Conference honors for the first time in his career and a 44.3 second PR in the process.

Other notable finishes include sophomore Ian Paul and senior Matthew Costanzo.

Paul had a breakout performance, recording a 12th place finish and over a minute (69.6 second) PR for Second Team All-Conference recognition. Costanzo crossed the line in 25:26.62 for a 17th place finish to earn himself Second Team All-OAC individual honors.

The Blue Streaks now turn their attention to the postseason regional meet in two-weeks. On November 11th, they will host the regional meet at Silver Creek Metro Park in Norton, Ohio.

"Since August, we've had all eyes on the postseason," Domitrovich remarked, but the "only way to get to where we want to be was to take care of each day, one at a time. Being able to trust our training as well as the boys we stand shoulder to shoulder with on the start line will be vital to our success late in the year."

"Like the old saying goes," Champa added, "the strength of the wolf is the pack."

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