Aquinas Wins 2023 Men's Cross Country Title

GRAND RAPDIS, Mich. - (Complete Results) - Aquinas Men's Cross Country raced their way to a WHAC title earlier this afternoon at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids. The win snaps a four-year winning streak by Cornerstone who finished in second place. Aquinas picks up their first WHAC title since 2018 thanks to a 31-point effort. Andrew Ireland set the pace, winning the race and earning WHAC Runner of the Year honors with a 25:17. Aquinas placed all five runners in the top ten including: Ethan Barker (5th), Ben Hardy (6th), Carson Lafferty (9th) and Rob Lohr (10th). 

Defending champion Cornerstone finished in second place with 60 points, led by third-place finisher Jamin Thompson. Madonna came in third with 104 points, Indiana Tech placed fourth with 128 points and Rochester and Lawrence Tech finished tied for fifth with 149 points each. 

The top seven finishers were named First-Team All-Conference with finishers 8-14 receiving Second-Team All-Conference accolades. Aquinas head coach Mike Wojciakowski earned Coach of the Year. Mehdi Hamoud of Madonna was named Newcomer of the Year. The final award went to Eric Green of Lawrence Tech as he was named Champions of Character Coach.

FINAL TEAM SCORES
1. Aquinas, 31
2. Cornerstone, 60
3. Madonna, 104
4. Indiana Tech, 128
5. Rochester, 149
5. Lawrence Tech, 149
7. UM-Dearborn, 166
8. Siena Heights, 230
9. Lourdes, 244
10. Concordia, 275
11. Cleary, 285

WHAC Men's Cross Country All-Time Champions
1992: Tri-State
1993: Siena Heights
1994: Siena Heights
1995: Siena Heights
1996: Siena Heights
1997: Aquinas
1998: Siena Heights
1999: Siena Heights
2000: Aquinas
2001: Siena Heights
2002: Aquinas
2003: Aquinas
2004: Aquinas
2005: Aquinas
2006: Aquinas
2007: Aquinas
2008: Aquinas
2009: Cornerstone
2010: Siena Heights
2011: Aquinas
2012: Aquinas
2013: Aquinas
2014: Aquinas
2015: Aquinas
2016: Indiana Tech
2017: Indiana Tech
2018: Aquinas
2019: Cornerstone
2020: Cornerstone
2021: Cornerstone
2022: Cornerstone
2023: Aquinas