At the conclusion of the NCCAA DII National Championship meet, the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) awarded eight Bob Jones University Bruins cross country runners with All-American honors. The All-American team recognition is based upon finishing results at nationals with the top-ten finishers being awarded the honor.
The 2023 championship meet took place this past Friday, November 10 in Warsaw, Indiana where the Bruins captured both the men's and women's DII national titles.
"These individuals have worked really hard toward achieving All-Americans status," said Head Coach Ken Roach. "The grit and determination during the race it takes to be in that position is very tough. This is a great team and these individuals are a key foundation of the success. They set the standards, and I am very proud of their leadership and accomplishment on the field."
The men's cross country team saw five All-Americans take the podium. Sol Shafer ran a solid race to cross the finish line second overall with a time of 26:45.80 to earn his third All-American honor. Up next was Marc Johnson who came in 4th at 28:16.20 to be named an All-American for the first time. Crossing the finish line right behind him was Joseph Grassmid with a time of 28:27.10 to earn his first All-American recognition. Trenton Goldsmith also earned his first All-American status with a sixth place finish at 28:51.80. Rounding out the All-Americans was Levi Gerbitz who finished seventh overall with a time of 29:05.00 to claim the recognition for the 3rd time.
In Friday's race, the men's cross country team had eight runners finish in the top-20 as they claimed their eight straight NCCAA DII National Championship.
On the women's side, Liesl Heinz raced to the finish line with a time of 20:18.60 to finish second overall to claim her first All-American status. Next for the Bruins was Joanna Lain who crossed the line sixth overall with a time of 21:04.80 to earn her second All-American honor. Just 10 seconds later was Lauren Jones who raced to a time of 21:14.50 to come in seventh to receive her first All-American recognition.
The women's cross country team had five teammates finish in the top-20 to work together and take their fourth consecutive NCCAA DII National Championship.
BJU is a NCCAA DII member featuring 12 varsity programs and over 200 student-athletes.
