AARON SKUBBY Editor-in-Chief—

Keanen Ginell ‘22 will be representing the Big Red at the upcoming Division III Men’s Cross Country National Championship following a 17th place finish at the Great Lakes regional championship.

Ginell recorded the fastest time of any runner from the North Coast Athletic Conference with an 8k time of 25:16.8. 

He was one of seven individual qualifiers, which is made up from the fastest runners who are not part of a qualifying team.

Two weeks prior, Ginell won the conference championship for the NCAC, beating a field of over 70 runners. “It was my goal all season to win conference,” he said. 

“There were moments during the race that I thought I would drop back, but I just looked at the person ahead of me and stayed right behind them until about 800, 400 or so left when I realized I had the energy and could actually go and pass them.”

Ginell’s success comes after a spring track season that was cut short by an achilles injury. “I was in a boot for about two months,” he said. “I could still run in it, but it was about half my mileage.” 

But through deliberate training and with the support of his team, Ginell was able to make a strong return. “Everyone’s got each other’s backs,” he said. 

Teammate Worth Hinshaw ‘24 said “Keanan always takes extra time to focus on the small details like nutrition, stretching and recovery, sleep, and is very smart with training and know what is too much or could result in injury or poor performance.”

The cross country team runs anywhere from 50-70 miles during a given week on top of additional workouts and races.

A defining moment in Ginell’s athletic career came during his first year at Denison. “I remember my freshman year I took like 70th or something at conference, and I hated every moment of that,” he said. 

“I remember thinking that when I graduate college I didn’t want to have any regrets, so I put in the work outside of just practice with the team.”

Hinshaw reflected on the role that Ginell has with the rest of the team. “He supports all of his teammates in their own pursuit of success, giving people recognition for their accomplishments,” he said. “He’s a quiet leader for the team and very humble, he never lets his success get to his head but uses it to motivate the rest of the team.” 

NCAA championships will be held on Saturday, November 20 in Louisville, Kentucky.