October 3, 2020 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – For the third time this season, the Grand Rapids Community College cross country team swept team and individual competitions, running away with victories at Friday’s Firebird Invitational in Grayling.
Both the men’s and women’s team have perfect 3-0 records at the halfway point of the season. The nationally ranked Raiders are back in action on Oct. 17 in Muskegon.
The men’s team cruised to a 46-point victory in the Grayling event, hosted by Kirtland Community College at Hanson Hills Ski Area. It was the largest event so far this season, with the Raiders among 13 colleges taking part.
Joshua Kipkoech finished first, and has now won all three races this year. The 25-year-old automotive technology student was raised in Kenya and had not raced in several years. He learned about GRCC’s program and wanted to get involved.
Kipkoech last week was named National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week.
Four Raiders finished in the top 10, with Jack Kehoe finishing sixth, Lance Jourdan taking eighth and Wilson Ishimwe finishing ninth.
The men’s team was ranked 10th in the nation in the most recent 2020 National Junior Athletic Associations Division II coaches’ poll.
The women’s team is ranked even higher, in the fifth spot, and also dominated in Friday’s race. The Raiders beat second-place St. Clair Community College by 13 points and third-place Jackson College by 37 points.
Sophomore Kiah Becker continued her remarkable season. She also has won all three races. Teammates Audrey Meyering finished fifth, Carolanne Merlington was just four seconds behind in sixth place, and Kate De Leeuw finished ninth.
The cross country teams are competing under strict safety protocols to protect student-athletes and coaches during the pandemic. The runners are the only GRCC athletes competing this fall.