At a send-off on Kokugakuin University’s Shibuya campus, the team outlined its bid to win the Hakone Ekiden for the first time next January. The 20-year-old Hamamatsu-born Hiromi Nonaka has emerged as a breakout star and is regarded by coach Maeda Yoshihiro as the core needed to achieve the dream, even joking that he is known as a "Japanese student" on social media as he competes with international runners. Nonaka shone in Izumo Ekiden in the 3rd leg and in the All-Japan University Ekiden in the 5th leg, and his 10,000m best of 27:36.64 ranks sixth among Japanese students. Having overcome a health setback before Hakone last year, he now believes his strengths lie in the 1st, 3rd, or 7th legs and has been named the next captain as Kokugakuin looks to end its 105-year wait for the title.