TOLEDO, Ohio – Seniors Mathew Chesum and Jake Rethman, along with junior Benjamin Otis, will serve as the team captains for the 2022 Toledo men's cross country team, associate head cross country and track & field coach Nick Stenuf announced today.

"This year it was hard and obvious at the same time to name our men's team captains," said Stenuf, who coaches the men's cross country team for the Rockets. "Every single one of our team members has and will continue to step up into a 'captain' role at any given moment for this program. That is what makes this team so special. The three gentlemen that we have named captains this year represent everything that a coach asks for. They are great teammates, they are resilient, and they are even better leaders. They have the respect of the coaches and peers. They have earned this recognition."

Chesum earned second-team All-MAC honors in 2021, after finishing 10th at the Mid-American Conference Championship on Oct. 30, the third runner to cross the finish line for the Rockets. Two weeks later, he placed 27th with a 10K season-best time of 30:32.4 at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional.

Rethman was an Academic All-MAC selection in 2021. He ran in all six races for the Rockets, with his highest finish being 11th place (15:38.7) at the Mel Brodt Invitational (Sept. 3). Retham finished 21st overall at the MAC Championships and 67th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional with a career-best 10K time of 31:15.7.

Otis, who also served as team captain in 2021, earned Second-Team All-MAC honors after finishing eighth at the MAC Championships with a career-best time of 24:37.7. He also ran a career-best 10K time of 31:59.0 at the NCAA Great Lakes Regionals (92nd) on Nov. 12.

Both the men's and women's cross country teams will kick off the 2022 campaign next Friday, Sept. 2 at Ohio's XC Invitational in Athens, Ohio.