Oilers Make National Championship Appearance
University Place, Washington- The University of Findlay sent two runners to the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships. The race took place today, Dec. 2 at Chambers Creek Regional Park. Juniors Noah Fisher and Jordan Foster represented the Orange and Black in the 10K as they competed 1,954 miles from the campus of the University of Findlay.
Noah Fisher was the top finisher as he finished 71st. Fisher started strong as he clocked in at 9:06.6 at the 3K mark and was in 30th place. He fell in the next 0.8K which took him just over two and a half minutes which would result in him dropping 20 spots on the leaderboard. From there, Fisher stayed consistent. He finished with a final time of 30:56.9.
Jordan Foster finished in 31:18.2 to finish in 103rd. Foster improved greatly throughout the race as he found himself in 161st at the 2K mark. He then climbed 38 spots to take 123rd in the next 1K. Foster then moved up another 21 spots on the leaderboard by recording 0.8K in 2:29.6. Foster would continue to push until he found himself in 81st with just about two miles to go. However, Foster would fall 22 spots in his final leg.
This was Fisher's second consecutive appearance in the event as he was the first men's runner in program history to compete in the National Championship in the NCAA era last season. This was Foster's first time qualifying, making him the second runner to qualify in the NCAA era.
Quotes from the Coach
"Today was a really special day for our program and another step in the right direction," said head coach Eric Wymer. "Noah positioned himself fairly well early, sitting in 30th at 3K. He ended up falling due to the mud and had a hard time getting back to where we knew he could be. At this level everyone is high caliber, if you spot people too much room it's incredibly tough to make up that ground. On the other hand this is Jordan's first national meet ever. He's developed a lot over the years and has finally gotten to the next caliber. This meet was a huge learning opportunity for him, he did a great job moving throughout the race and competing. I think he learned a lot and is only going to improve from the opportunity."
