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Issue date: 12/3/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: LC File Photo Senior Ricky Flynn is LC's first NCAA DIII National Cross Country champion.

On Saturday, Nov. 21 most Lynchburg College students were home for their Thanksgiving break but senior All-American runner Ricky Flynn was in Cleveland, Ohio trying to add a national championship to his already long list of accomplishments during his career at LC.

Flynn's path to this year's national championship race included; competing in five meets this fall, winning four of them and finishing as the top collegiate runner in the other. Flynn started the year at the Paul Short Invitational where he finished first in 24:43, setting a school record, according to the LC Athletics website. Flynn continued to impress on his run to the national race as he dominated the ODAC Championship finishing 44 seconds ahead of Richy Bikko from Eastern Mennonite University and went on to win the South/Southeast Regional meet by a margin of 16 seconds; leading the entire men's team in a second place regional finish, which qualified them for the national championship meet.

At the NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country National Championship meet Flynn finished off his storybook season outrunning the competition and finishing in 25:09, 23 seconds ahead of second place finisher, Michael Spain a junior from North Central College, according to the NCAA website. Flynn said that a cross country national championship had been the goal since freshman year now and part of him doubted that it would happen.

"Winning nationals was an unreal feeling and an emotion I can't describe. When I realized I was going to win, I can't even explain what was going through my head," Flynn said in an e-mail.

Flynn's cross country career at LC concludes with three ODAC Championships, a regional championship, a national championship, All-American accolades and many athlete of the year awards; including the 2009 USTFCCCA National and Regional Athlete of the Year. His cross country career may now be over but Flynn will still be running this year as he competes in both indoor and outdoor track where he has also been a star; earning ODAC Championship and All-American accolades in both.

Flynn said that he hopes that he can at least match the success of his cross country season this year in both the track seasons and looks forward to track season.

"I want to finish my college career on top and expect nothing less in these final two seasons. I do not want to get too much into my goals specifically but let's just say I have high hopes for myself, and this win in cross country has really given me a great deal of confidence going into the track season," Flynn said in the e-mail.

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