FMU: 3-year returning letterman....2019 Ray E. Thames Memorial Raise the Roof Award....Ran in 6 of 7 meets as a junior....Was team's top finisher in 3 events and second finisher in 2 events....Placed 50th at the 2018 PBC Championship Meet and 118th at the 2018 NCAA II Southeast Regional Championships....2017 PBC All-Sportsmanship Team....Competed in four of six races as a sophomore....Placed fifth at season-opening 2017 Carolina Challenge....Top-20 finish (18th) at the 2017 Koala Classic (Oct. 7, 2018)....Placed 57th at 2017 PBC Meet....Bright future for 2018....Ran in three of six races as a freshman....Three Top-30 showings in 2016....Walk-on....T&F Team MVP 2018....A member of the Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM)....Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers....Resident Assistant....Member of the FMU Industrial Engineering Society....Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) 2019-20....FMU Swamp Fox Athletic-Academic Honor Roll 2016 (fall), 2019 (spring).  

PERSONAL: 

• Born Ivan Henderson in Vladivostok, Russia
• Graduate of Sliver Bluff High School, where he ran track for coach Eric Bridges
• Received Best Runner Athletic Award at 2016 Athletic Award Ceremony for Track & Field
• Moved to US at age four to New Haven, Conn.
• Nickname is Vanya

PERSONAL FAVORITES: 

• As a child what you wanted to be when you grew up:  Police Officer
• Favorite Superhero:  Curtis (Snowpiercer) - no fictional powers, but leading and fighting through opposition in order to obtain a better life is a realistic super power to me
• Favorite Athlete:  Eliud Kipchoge -  #1 World Class & Olympic Marathoner from Kenya
• Favorite Sports Team: The Buffalos - University of Colorado College XC Team 
• Favorite Movie or TV Show: Movies - The Arrival | TV Shows - Stranger Things  & Umbrella Academy
• Favorite Food:  Apples
• Favorite Vacation Spot:  Bussey Point @ Lake Thurmond in SC
• Twitter Handle: @HIChereskov116 
• Your Motivation Music:  Aftergold by BigWild & Monody by TheFatRat
• Favorite Thing About FMU:  It is a nice small campus so I know my campus community, and I get to know my professors 
• Favorite Off-Field Activity:  Minecraft & Skyrim, missionary and volunteer work
• Goals for Upcoming Season:  XC - 5K: sub 17:30 | 8K: sub 27:30 | 10K: sub 35 flat || Track - 1500: sub 4:28 | 5K: sub 16:40 | 3K: sub 9:50 
• Why you first chose your sport: I would describe myself as a 'twig' before I decided to become an athlete in high school.  I started biking, then jogging, and then actually running.  I joined Track because I felt I wanted to just run and become something better than I currently was - isn't that the ultimate choice?
• The biggest mental challenge to you improving faster: I first became an athlete because I felt I could become a better long distance runner.  Once I joined FMU's XC team, I realized I actually had no clue what 'XC' meant; getting over my own doubts of what I got myself into was my struggle.  I put myself through a great deal of pain and injury to learn what it takes to be a true XC athlete and it took me 2 years of my own doubts and losses to realize that it would take time, patience, and 
• Interesting Notes:  I always tucked in about 100% of my shirts, but I started running shirtless my junior year; I keep my tucking-in dedicated to everything except for running - which I now do shirtless!  Weird, right?!
• Brush With Greatness:  The Holy Spirit