(WILMINGTON, Ohio) - The Wilmington College men's cross country team enters a pivotal season of development during the fall of 2026. The team will be relying on the emergence of several young stars to score well at the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) and Great Lakes Regional Championships. Gone are All-Conference and All-Region seniors Tate Yoder and Gabe Moore.
 
Key Returners
This leaves sophomore Simeon Williamson as the team's top returning runner. Williamson was the definition of consistency last season, running under 28 minutes in each 8k race but one. After a strong track and field season that included a sub-16 minute 5k and several excellent races in the steeplechase, Williamson will look to significantly improve his cross country bests this season.
 
Williamson will be joined by fellow sophomores Cameron Adkins and Braydon Buchanan, both of whom gained significant experience in their first seasons and will look to capitalize on those lessons this fall. Adkins claimed a personal best of 29:30 last cross country season before excelling during track season (personal bests of 16:28 and 34:28 in the 5k and 10k, respectively), while Buchannan ran an impressive 27:58 as a freshman before injuries cost him a spring season. He looks for a strong bounce-back this year on the grass. Sophomore Alex Bennett, who contributed to the Quakers in cross country and hurdles last season, will return as well and will provide depth.
 
Also looking to contribute for the Quakers is senior Bryson Robinette, fresh off his best career season during outdoor track and field, a season in which he knocked his personal best 5k from 16:58 all the way down to 16:11. He boasts a lifetime best of 27:59 in the cross country 8k and will look to outpace that time this fall.
 
Also returning are juniors Blake Kanniard and Keegan Kidd. Kanniard, who missed virtually all of his freshman season due to injury, posted a career best time of 31:00 last fall in the 8k and looks to build on those successes. Kidd has a personal best of 29:39 in the 8k and is returning from a blistering track-and-field season in which he cleared 2 minutes in the 800-meter run several times and scored at the OAC Outdoor track-and-field championships with a personal best of 1:56.
 
Newcomers
The Quakers will welcome several new faces to the team in 2026, as well as welcoming back senior Bryce Hensley, who missed last season due to other commitments but returns to the starting line as a senior. Amongst the new arrivals are sophomore Neka Bukasa, who joined the Quakers for track and field last season and proved an immediate contributor, competing in the 3000 meter steeplechase (10:28), the 5000 meter run (16:07), and the 10,000 meter run (34:03). He will look to extend his contributions onto the grass this fall. There is also track-and-field veteran but first-time cross-country runner Griffin Roell, who claimed a 1:55 personal best time in the 800 last spring and will take to the grass for the first time this fall.
 
The team will also be joined by several freshmen who were high school standouts, including local product (Wilmington High School) Jacob Vance, who ran impressive times in the 5k, 3200 meter run, and 1600 meter run during high school (18:09, 10:34, 4:49, respectively), as did Grant Eberhart (Canton Central Catholic) whose personal best 3200-meter time in high school was an exceptional 10:29. Adding some footspeed will be Samuel Quackenbush of Vinton County, whose times of 17:10 in the 5k and 1:56 in the 800-meter run speak for themselves. Gavin Roessner and Zachary Konot will join the team as well, hoping to gain college experience and provide important depth.
 
Coaching Staff
Bellowing from the sidelines for the milestone 30th season will be head coach Ron Combs, one of Wilmington College's longest tenured employees. Combs run as head coach is unmatched in the OAC and includes numerous team and individual accolades. Simply put, Combs is the face (not to mention the remarkably loud voice) of Wilmington Cross Country.
 
Assisting him will be Josh Cyrus, who enters his fourth season as an assistant track and field and cross country coach and is one of the most valued assistant coaches in the OAC. Joining the staff for the first time will be the aforementioned Gabe Moore, who returns to Wilmington as an intern.
 
They will also be joined by volunteer assistant coaches and former Quaker cross country and track athletes Tony Goodrich and Cameron Phelps.
 
What to Watch For
The Quakers stand at a crossroads in 2026 with previous torch-carriers in Moore and Yoder lost to graduation. Where in the past, the Quakers have relied on experience and training, they will now rely on youth and vision for the future.
 
Key meets for the Quakers come at the Grizzly Invite (September 5th), Louisville Cross Country Classic (October 3rd), and at home for the JennaStrong Fall Classic (October 16th).
 
Their final stretch will be at the OAC and Regional championships (October 31st and November 14th, respectively).