For the second straight year, the Geneva College men’s cross country team won the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championship in the PAC title meet held on October 31. The Golden Tornadoes put together a dominant performance, with its five top runners running in the group at the front of the race, leaving no doubt about their chance of repeating.

The race began with an encouraging sign. Just prior to the starting gun going off, a nearby tornado siren went off as part of the town’s regular monthly test. It proved to be a harbinger of things to come.

The men came into the conference championship race as the favorites, and Geneva led from start to finish. Junior Matt Otto paced the team, finishing in second place, while junior teammate Ethan Haring was just behind in third place. Freshman Tyler Caron finished fifth and was named the PAC Newcomer of the Year after his impressive first season at Geneva. Sophomore Xaver Alexander ran the best race of his career, finishing tenth overall, while sophomore Drew Steffler rounded out the top five Geneva runners with a 12^th place finish. Highlighting the depth in the program was the fact the men placed nine runners among the top 36 finishers.

At the conclusion the meet, new cross country coach Jason Wargo, alongside assistant Jaron Mihoci, who handled most of the coaching during the season as Geneva brought in Coach Wargo, were named the PAC Coaches of the Year.

Even more encouraging, the roster does not have a single senior on it, giving the Golden Tornadoes a great opportunity to continue their recent string of championships in the years ahead. Combined with last year’s three PAC Championships in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field, the men’s team has established itself as the preeminent program in the conference, with the potential for more championships to come.