Panec ends historic career at NAIA National Championships
VANCOUVER, Wash. – In his final cross country meet of his career at Dakota Wesleyan University, Jeremiah Panec competed in his second-consecutive NAIA Cross Country National Championships and tallied a 50th-place finish with a time of 25:46 Saturday in Vancouver, Wash.
VANCOUVER, Wash. – In his final cross country meet of his career at Dakota Wesleyan University, Jeremiah Panec competed in his second-consecutive NAIA Cross Country National Championships and tallied a 50th-place finish with a time of 25:46 Saturday in Vancouver, Wash.
The Kenesaw, Neb., native entered his senior season as one of the leaders of the DWU cross country team, and led by example.
To solidify a spot at the NAIA cross country National Championships, Panec needed a solid showing at the Great Plains Athletic Conference Championships. He did just that as he recorded a DWU cross country record with a first-place finish in 24:56.09. With the record-setting performance, Panec became the first male DWU cross country individual conference champion.
Panec became the first DWU cross country male runner to qualify for the NAIA cross country National Championships, after notching his second-consecutive appearance, since Thomas Madut accomplished the same feat in 2008 and 2009.
At the NAIA cross country National Championships last season, Panec notched a 135th-place finish with a time of 26:16.
A historic career came to a close Saturday as Panec crossed the finish line. In his cross-country career, he tallied nine top-20 finishes and six top-five finishes.
Panec will compete in the indoor track and field season for the DWU track and field team for the 2017-18 season.