Freshman garners Division III newcomer honors
Ohio Wesleyan cross country team, led by sophomore John Sotos, finished 13th out of 43 teams at the All-Ohio Intercollegiate Cross Country Championship on October 3rd.
Sotos finished 27th overall and received Division III Newcomer of the Year for his efforts on the course.
The Transcript: What does it mean to you receiving the award for D3 newcomer of the year?
Sotos: Receiving the Division III Newcomer award was a pretty special award to receive. To me, it’s just a reminder of all the miles I have put in and how it’s starting to pay off.
The Transcript: How was the All-Ohio Intercollegiate Cross Country Championship for you individually and as a team?
Sotos: Individually the All-Ohio race went pretty well. I ran a personal record and ran my own race and didn’t let the fast pace from the gun get to my head. More importantly, as a team, this race shows how dangerous of a team we can be if all of the runners click on the same day, especially our number 3, 4, and 5 runners (Nathan Madonich, Kevin Ford, Landon Erb), who are without a doubt the three most dedicated guys on the team, are ready to drop some pretty fast times.
The Transcript: How did everyone feel after finishing 13th out of 43 teams?
Sotos: Everyone was pretty thrilled to finish 13th in the state of ohio, especially because the race contained some outstanding competition from the Division I and II schools in addition to the Division III schools. We were right in the mix with the other Division III schools in our region, and look forward to beating those teams later in the season.
The Transcript: How do you as an individual continue to improve after so much success already?
Sotos: The success only hungers me for more. My favorite kind of success isn’t from the individual standpoint, but rather the success of a team and taking this team to new heights, and this OWU cross country team has a lot coming in the near future.