Lanoy brothers, Little lead four top-35 runners for Shawnee State in third-place finish for Bears at All-Ohio Championships
CEDARVILLE, Ohio -- The men's cross country program at Shawnee State -- no matter who leads the pack or is part of the main rotation of runners from an individual standpoint -- can never be counted out or slept on as an overall threat to contending for championship hardware.
That fact was proven in spades again at the All-Ohio Championships in Cedarville -- as Isaiah Lanoy, Kaiden Lanoy and Shawn Little each finished inside the top-15 individually while Trevor Lanoy made it four Shawnee State men's cross country runners inside the top-35 overall at the prestigeous event, which was held at Elvin R. King Cross Country Course in Cedarville.
Despite running without the services of dependable No. 5 runner and veteran leader Dylan French, who was fighting an illness, the Bears still nabbed an impressive 116 points -- finishing just eight markers back of Cedarville for second place overall in the finishing order from a team standpoint and bettering 21 NCAA programs, including NCAA Division I Wright State, in doing so.
"I am very excited with the progress our men have made each week," Shawnee State Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Conner Flynn said. "We are excited to have Kaiden back on the course after missing a couple meets. Our top-four showed up, and battled. Dylan French has been sick all week but when he's healthy, we are excited for what we can be."
Two of the three Lanoy triplets -- Isaiah and Kaiden -- helped guide Shawnee State to a strong finish with their strong performances Friday.
Isaiah, who ran a 25:33.4, finished 10th overall and seventh among all attached collegiate runners with his time, while Kaiden, who finished just behind with a 25:34.7, finished 11th overall and eighth among all attached runners.
Shawn Little, who posted a 25:50.3, made it three Shawnee State runners inside the top-15 overall as the junior finished 15th among all runners. The Michigan native's performance allowed Little to join Isaiah Lanoy and Kaiden Lanoy in finishing among the top-dozen attached collegiate runners in the stacked 432-runner field.
Trevor Lanoy, who continues to solidly place himself among the top-four runners overall on Shawnee State's unit, finished 32nd with a 26:17.1 while Connor Darnell stepped up admirably by running a 26:49 to finish 78th overall.
"Connor Darnell had a huge day," Flynn said. "When he knew that our usual five-man was out, he accepted the challenge and stepped up for his team. He deserves this kind of race with the work he has put in. I am very happy for him."
Jerry O'Dell (161st overall, 27:53.8) and Jacob Naumovski (232nd overall, 28:53.7) rounded out the top-seven finishers, while Garrett Carver's 256th place, Caden LaRue's 279th place showing, Malachi Shugert's 326th place run and Walker Pannell's 337th place mark rounded out the SSU contingent -- who continue to grow from the standpoints of being battle-tested against quality competition while gaining experience on talented courses.
"This meet was a helpful race towards learning how to navigate large fields, and understanding the flow of a race like that," Flynn said. "It was truly a championship style meet, and I know our athletes gained valuable experience."
Additional
The Shawnee State men's cross country program will compete at the Ohio Wesleyan University Invitational on Friday, Oct. 4, followed by another annual trip for the Bears -- the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic -- on Saturday, Oct. 5 in Louisville, Ky.
