Season Review: Men's Cross Country competes on national level in 2016
By Caleb Scott
ADA — The Ohio Northern men's cross country team showcased a national level of talent during another successful season in 2016.
The Polar Bears finished the season 114-20 overall en route to winning their second consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference Championship and posting their 18th consecutive winning season under 8th-year head coach Jason Maus.
Northern also posted its 12th consecutive top-3 finish at the OAC Championships.
"This was such a fun season for our men," said head coach Jason Maus. "The way we came together and progressed all season long is a true testament to the team as a whole. They were focused and committed all season, and kept their goals in mind no matter the situation."
The Polar Bears saw a school-record eight members finish in the top-18 at the OAC Championships and earn All-Conference.
Senior Andrew Harden (Vandalia/Vandalia-Butler) won the OAC Championships individual title by 2.9 seconds, finishing first out of 143 runners in 25:24 on the 8,000-meter course and earning First Team All-OAC honors.
Sophomore Ian McVey (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls), senior Kase Schalois (Van Wert) and senior Cully Gordon (Holmesville/West Holmes) also earned First Team All-OAC honors.
Also earning All-OAC accolades in 2016 were juniors Bobby Borger (Perrysburg), Matt Molinaro (Sterling Heights, Mich./De La Salle), Samuel Boyd (Killbuck/West Holmes) and sophomore Spencer Schulze (Saint Henry) as each placed in the top-18.
Head coach Jason Maus and assistant coaches Casey Gannt and Nathan Rosenbaum earned OAC Men's Coaching Staff of the Year honors for the second consecutive year after leading the Polar Bears to their second consecutive OAC Championship.
Maus and Gantt also helped guide the Polar Bears to the second best finish in school history at the NCAA III Championships as Northern finished 14th of 32 teams.
McVey posted a team best 36th place finish at the NCAA III Championships in Louisville, Ky. and narrowly missed All-America honors by one position.
Another Ohio Northern record fell in 2016 as Maus set the all-time wins record at ONU during the Polar Bears fifth place finish at the Wis.-Oshkosh Invitational.
Maus currently holds an ONU coaching record of 852-176 and surpassed former Polar Bear head coach Brian Cole as the all-time winningest coach in ONU history.
"The senior class has made such an impact on this program," said Maus. "They are good leaders and they've left a huge imprint on the program. They have set the standard for those who follow. They have accomplished a ton and certainly will be missed."
Senior Andrew Kurtz (Toledo/Saint John's), junior Michael Murray (Strongsville/Strongsville), and Harden were each named Academic All-OAC in 2016.
Kurtz, a Physics major, earned his second Academic All-OAC honor as a Polar Bear.
Murray, a Chemistry major from Strongsville, earned his second Academic All-OAC honor.
Harden, a Statistics major, was named Academic All-OAC for the first time in his four-year career at ONU.
Northern opened the season with a dominating first place finish for the fourth consecutive year at the Bluffton Invitational.
The Polar Bears then finished first among Div. III schools at the Michigan State Spartan Invitational before claiming second place at the All-Ohio Championships and posting a fifth place finish at the Wis.-Oshkosh Invitational.
After a first place finish at the OAC Championships, the Polar Bears posted a third place finish at the Great Lakes Regional meet and earned an at large bid to the NCAA III National Championships.
"I really enjoyed working with these young men all year long," said Maus. "This will be a season I'll remember. All of the accomplishments and challenges will make this a memorable year. I made sure to really enjoy this season and soak it in. It's not every year that things come together the way they did this year."