2020-21 Men's Cross Country Season Review

COMING UP: Season Complete
 
YOTES PLACE 15TH AT NAIA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Making their 14th-straight appearance at the NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championships, the Coyotes recorded a 15th-place finish in the field of 37 teams. Four C of I athletes finished in the Top-100 in the race – paced by Braden Heath, who took 67th overall. Sean Wagnon had a quality effort, taking 76th, with both Ian Jackson (88th) and Logan Hunt (91st). It was the third-straight year that C of I has placed four runners in the Top-100 and the sixth time overall (the 2015 team had all seven runners finish in the Top-100).
 
ANOTHER TOP-15 EFFORT: The 15th-place finish marked the sixth-straight year C of I has finished in 15th-place or better at the NAIA Championships and the ninth time overall since 2004. The Yotes finished No. 15 in the final NAIA Top-25 Coaches' Poll, the 13th-straight year that C of I has closed the season ranked in the Top-25.
 
ACADEMIC AWARDS: A total of nine Coyotes were honored this year as a member of the Cascade Conference All-Academic Team – being at least a sophomore in academic standing and maintaining a 3.20 or better cumulative grade point average at the College. Cole Campbell, Brennen Donahue, Braden Heath, Ian Jackson, Will Krakaw, Adam McLean, Tyler Straub and Connor Vrooman earned the distinction from the conference office – tops among all CCC men's cross country teams.
 
SENIOR SHOUT-OUT: The 2020-21 season marks the end of the line for three Coyote senior student-athletes – though each of them could potentially use an extra year of eligibility granted by the NAIA due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cole Campbell was a part of four squads to race at the NAIA Championships, earning All-America honors as a sophomore, while earning three All-Cascade Conference accolades. Josh Fritz was a part of his first NAIA Championships in 2020-21, while Tyler Straub was a four-year member of the squad.
 
SEASON REVIEW: (2020-21 Top Times List) The Coyote harriers had another outstanding season – establishing a new school record with four meet victories. C of I won their only fall competition, a head to head Duel in the Dirt at Eastern Oregon, with Ian Jackson earning a win and establishing a new school-record over the 5,000-meter distance. This spring, the Yotes opened claimed a victory at their own Ice Chipper at Mallard Park and followed it up with a narrow win at the Lewis-Clark State Winter Invite. The club dominated the field at the Walla Walla Invitational, placing their Top-10 runners all in the Top-10, led by Logan Hunt. C of I placed a tight third at the CCC Championships, their 14th Top-3 finish at the league meet in the last 16 years – with Jackson, Cole Campbell, Sean Wagnon and Braden Heath all earning All-CCC accolades – earning an at-large berth to the NAIA Championships.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: C of I will return the bulk of their team for the 2021 fall season, including current juniors Sean Wagnon and Ian Jackson, who made huge strides during this past season. Sophomores Braden Heath and Brennen Donahue had outstanding performances on the year, while freshman Logan Hunt finished in the Top-5 in three of the six meets this season and looks to build on the success.