TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo men's cross country team is coming off its best performance in program history, taking second place at the Mid-American Conference Men's Cross Country Championships. The Rockets' previous best finish was fifth, which happened on two occasions, most recently in 2020.
 
Seniors Mathew Chesum and Jake Rethman and junior Benjamin Otis will serve as the team captains for the 2022 season.
 
Associate head cross country and track and field coach Nick Stenuf is excited for this season's recruiting class and thinks they can take Toledo to the next level of success.
 
"I am really excited for the men's incoming class," Stenuf said. "We are returning all but one guy from our runner-up MAC Championship finish in 2021. So, the emphasis on this class was to pick up some immediate impact runners, and that is exactly what we did. While it is not a big class, it is one that packs a punch."
 
Stepping up to the starting line for the Rockets from last season's quad are sophomore Gavin Lammers, juniors Otis and Ben Towler, and seniors Chesum, Jonathon Hrivnak, Kassim Kibet, Rethman. Both Otis (eighth in 2021) and Chesum (10th in 2021) finished in the top-20 at the MAC Championships and earned second-team All-MAC honors.
 
Chesum then crossed the line in 27th place (30:32.4) to lead Toledo to a program-best 11th place finish at the 2021 NCAA Men's Cross Country Great Lakes Regional in Evansville, Ind. on Nov. 11. Chesum's place was the highest individual finish for a Toledo men's cross country runner at the Great Lakes Regional Championship.
 
The Rockets look to continue their success in 2022 with the addition of five runners: freshmen Avery Casillas, Eric Hollar and Joshua Taylor, and sophomore transfers Charles Kipchumba (EKU) and Dennis Mutai (Garden City CC).
 
"Overall, I am really looking forward to working with all of these young men and watch them all really impact the team," Stenuf said. "They will help tremendously as we all aim to make history this year for Toledo."
 
Taylor holds Bryan High School's 5K school record. He was a four-year team MVP, three-time State runner, two-time second-team All-Ohio honoree, and three-time Division II All-Ohio Academic Team.
 
"Taylor is our lone incoming true freshman and I am really excited about him, ," Stenuf said. "He had a breakthrough in outdoor track & field, and I feel he has a lot of upside. He will really help this program throughout his Rocket career."
 
The first transfer, Kipchumba, spent the past two seasons at EKU on the cross country and track & field team. He was named second-team All-OVC after finishing 13th at the 2021 OVC Cross Country Championships and helped the Colonels to a runner-up finish at the meet.
 
"Charles will look to help this men's team continue to build on our success from this past season," Stenuf said about Kipchumba. "He brings experience and strength to this program. I am excited to watch him toe the line with our guys and help this program take a step to the next level."
 
Mutai, the second transfer to Toledo, was an all-conference and all-region honoree from Garden City Community College. He won the four-mile race while setting a new school record with a time of 19:48.7
 
At the Terry Masterson Twilight Classic on Sept. 3, he took second at the Region VI Championships. He finished fifth and was one of two Garden City runners who were named All-Americans at the 2021 NJCAA National Championships.
 
"Dennis is the type of athlete that every coach is excited to coach," Stenuf said. "He had a very successful stint at Garden City. What makes his so special is that he is very new to running, only picking it up just over a year ago. His transition to running in such a short time has been remarkable and I am excited to work with him on finding out how good he can be."
 
The Rockets look forward to six meets this season: visiting MAC opponent Ohio (Sept. 2), Indiana State's John McNichols Invite (Sept. 17), Oklahoma State's Cowboy Jamboree (Sept. 24), Notre Dame's Joe Piane Invitational (Oct. 1), Wisconsin's Nuttycomb Invite (Oct. 14), and Wayne State's Warrior Challenge (Oct. 22). The MAC Men's Cross Country Championships will take place on Saturday, Oct. 29 in Athens, Ohio and will be followed by the NCAA Great Lakes Regional in Terre Haute, Ind. on Friday, Nov. 11.
 
The final race of the year will be the NCAA Championship Meet hosted by Oklahoma State in Stillwater, OK on Saturday, Nov. 19.