KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, IND. ? The Indiana State men's and women's cross country teams will be travelling to Bloomington, Ind., this weekend for the Great Lakes Region cross country championships. The Sycamore men are currently ranked eighth in the Great Lakes Region.
The championships will be run on the Indiana University Championship Cross Country course located just east of the campus. The men's 10,000 meter race will begin the day's action at 12:00 noon with the women's 6,000 meter race set to begin at 1:15 p.m.
“The Great Lakes Region is historically the strongest region in the nation,” John McNichols, Indiana State men's cross country coach said. “This year we have our best opportunity to make a strong showing. It will be just like the conference meet in that we will have to beat teams that everyone thinks are better than we are and teams that have beaten us during the regular season. This team is capable of doing just that but we must keep our focus, stay healthy, and, finally, race.”
The Sycamore men will be without senior Scott Keeney who will not be able to run due to back spasms. The problem came up prior to the Missouri Valley Conference championships but he was cleared to run and finished fifth overall to earn his fourth All-Conference recognition.
“He really gutted it out at the championships,” McNichols said. “Not only was he running with the pain of the back spasms but he was also running with the pain of the race. It says a lot about his character that he was able to rise above that pain and finish as well as he did. He is just an outstanding young man and has led our team for the past two years.”
Keeney qualified for the NCAA Championships a year ago with a 13th place finish in the Great Lakes Region meet, finishing 196th in the NCAA Championships.
“It is a shame that he will not get the opportunity to compete for a chance to return to the NCAA Championships this year,” McNichols said.
The Sycamores still have plenty of deep and that is the reason McNichols is optimistic about the chances for Indiana State to qualify as a team or have several individuals qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Senior Eric Schulz led the ISU run to the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference championship by finishing fourth at the championships, his third top 10 finish of the season. Sophomore Jeremiah Vaughan was a key to the ISU championship run by passing several Southern Illinois runners to finish sixth in the MVC championship, his second top 10 finish of the season. Junior Michael Disher was seventh at the MVC's, his third top 10 finish of the season, while sophomore Craig Padgett sealed ISU's championship with a 10th place finish, his second top 10 finish of the season.
Juniors Tyler Kent, a transfer from Vincennes University, and Andrew Lepkowski, a transfer from Lewis University, have been in mix for top finishes as both have three top 20 finishes this season. Sophomore Dustin Betz and freshman Albaro Escalera have also run well this season with both posting three top 20 finishes this season. Escalera finished 14th at the MVC Championships, Lepkowski 19th, and Betz 20th.
The Indiana State women's cross country team is also having one of their best seasons but has not been ranked in the Great Lakes Region this season.
“We hope to improve upon our 14th place finish from a year ago,” John Gartland, Indiana State women's cross country coach, said. “Usually we are ranked among the top 15 in the region but we haven't been this season. I think that may be a motivator for this team. We have the potential to be a lot better.”
Sycamore junior Allison Malone could become Indiana State's first national qualifier since Jessica Crowder in 2003 with a finish in the top 25 at the regional meet.
“Her goal is to finish in the top 25 and she is certainly capable of doing that,” Gartland said. “Realistically, to be invited as an at-large selection she needs to finish higher. Crowder finished 16th at the regional when she qualified for the 2003 Championship.”
Malone has been a consistent performer for the Sycamores all season, finishing in the top 10 in each of the five races this season including a seventh place finish at the 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championships which earned her All-Conference recognition.
“We have at least four runners who have great chances of doing well at the regional and maybe more,” Gartland said. “We also have a huge amount of pride at stake as we have not been ranked in the top 15 all year. I hope that the team will take all the positives from the conference meet with them to Indiana and compete well. This is a meet where you can be very embarrassed if you are not ready to compete.”
Sophomore Kacie Klem is also having an outstanding season, finishing in the top 20 in each of her five races this season including a 20th place finish at the MVC Championships. Senior Kayla Alexander has been coming on strong of late and finished 19th at the MVC with senior Julia Costello coming back from a hamstring injury to finish 15th at the conference championships.
Also counted on for the Sycamores will be senior Emily Pugh, junior Bethany Scruton, and freshman Kylee Thacker. Senior Adriane Wunderlich will also be ready to go as the alternative for the team. Pugh has been a steady runner for the Sycamores with her best finishing coming in the season opening Bradley Invitational where she finished 13th. Scruton has also shown improvement and will be in contention for the fifth spot in the ISU team scoring. Her best finish so far this season was a sixth place at the Bradley Invitational. Thacker has been making good progress as a freshman in learning the strategies of collegiate cross country competition and Wunderlich has also been a steady competitor for ISU.
The top two teams and the top four individuals not on one of those teams (providing they finish in the top 25) will automatically qualify for the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Championship which will be held on Monday, Nov. 23, at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute. A total of 13 at-large teams and two at-large individuals will be selected on Sunday (Nov. 15) to fill the NCAA field. Thirty-one teams and 38 individuals will qualify for the 2009 NCAA Championships.
