Tuesday, October 25, 2011
ST. LOUIS – The 2011 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championship will be held this Sunday, October 30, at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind. hosted by Indiana State University. Southern Illinois men and Wichita State women were voted as the pre-championship favorites in the coaches’ pre-championship poll. The Saluki men have earned the most team championships in the Valley and hope to make this year their thirteenth win. The Shocker women are seeking to continue their winning streak with a seventh-consecutive title, which would be the 13th title in school history as well. The men's 8k race will start at 10:30am followed by the women’s 5k race at 11:30 a.m.
The Southern Illinois men's cross country team is this season's favorite to win the 2011 State Farm MVC Men's Cross Country Championship with 73 points and three first-place votes. After finishing in second-place a year ago, the Salukis have taken team honors twice this year and place four runners in the Valley 8k top-ten. Their roster provides a lot of depth with Neal Anderson (athlete of the week honors, second-fastest 8k time in the Valley), Zach Dahleen (fourth-fastest 8k), Brian Dixon (athlete of the week honors, 7th-fastest 8k) and Lucas Cherry (9th 8k time).
Indiana State, last year's champion and the 2011 preseason favorite, took four first-place votes earning 70 points and the second-place ranking. The Sycamores will have three 2010 All-Conference returners in Albaro Escalera, Craig Padgett and Jeremiah Vaughan as well as the first athlete of the week this season, senior Tyler Kent. Vaughan has the top 8k time this season for Indiana State.
Drake checks in at a close No. 3 with 68 points and one first-place vote. The Bulldogs have had a strong season, winning the team competition in four out of their five scored meets. Sophomore Brogan Austin has had a great year earning athlete of the week honors twice and currently holding the fastest 8k time in the Valley.
Wichita State came in fourth with the remaining first-place vote, totaling 59 points. The Shockers hold three top-eight performances (Marcos Bailon, Jackson Toroitich and Tomas Cotter) in the MVC after they competed at the Bill Dellinger Invitational.
Illinois State takes the No. 5 spot with 44 points. Ryan Rutherford will lead the Redbirds in their Championship charge. Rutherford currently holds Illinois State's top 8k time and was named MVC Athlete of the Week on September 20.
Bradley swiped the sixth spot tallying 31 points. Freshman Marshall Moyer has made quite a name for himself with the Braves after he paced the team in three out of four outings and will look to have a strong showing at the 2011 Conference Championship.
UNI earned seventh in the pre-championship poll with 26 points, while Evansville and Creighton round out the final positions with 21 and 13 points, respectively.
2010 All-Conference award winner, Brett Egan, will bring his championship experience to the Panthers. In his last meet, Egan posted a season-best as he crossed the line first for the Panthers for the fourth time in 2011.
Cody Stein and Brian Denny of Evansville have two top-ten times in the Valley at the 6k distance while Chris Culhane and Casey Jergenson will pace the Jays.
Wichita State was picked first in the women's pre-championship poll with seven first-place votes and a total of 97 points. The Shockers' have a lot of depth in their lineup as Aliphine Tuliamuk, Scarla Nero, Patrober Murindat and Samantha Shukla all have top-ten 5k performances in the Valley. Tuliamuk currently holds the fastest Conference 4k, 5k and 6k times of the season and has been named athlete of the week on three occasions.
Illinois State took the second spot and two first-place votes (88 points). The Redbirds will look to de-throne the Shockers with the help of Krista DeCeault, Elise Sigg, Aisha Praught and Brea Tinney who hold times in the Conference's top-ten, with two in the top-five. Sigg earned the MVC's athlete of the week accolade in the beginning of October while Praught comes into the Championship after being on the 2010 All-Conference team.
Under new coach Alick Musukuma, Missouri State checks in at the No. 3 position with 69 points. The Bears' took home top team honors at the Greater Louisville Classic's blue race after first and second-place performances by 2010 All-Conference Terry Phillips and junior Emily Beaver.
Southern Illinois sits at the fourth position getting 67 points. Athlete of the week (Sept. 27), Lacey Gibson, and teammate Kelley Gallagher will blaze the trails for the Salukis. Southern Illinois won two team championships this year, the EIU Walt Crawford Open and the Saluki Invitational.
Indiana State notched the fifth spot and the remaining first-place vote (62 points) as Bradley was one-point behind them in sixth (61 points). The Sycamore's Kacie Klem has the fastest 5k time for the Sycamores and the sixth-fastest 4k time in the Valley after her performance at the UE Mid-America Opener. Bradley comes into the Championship with a top-ten 5k time in Sarah McMahon. The Braves also have three top-ten performances in the Valley at the 6k distance.
UNI earned seventh-place in the pre-championship poll with a total of 34 points. The Panthers will be led by one-time athlete of the week, Jill Lageschulte who also holds UNI's fastest 5k performance.
Drake was picked to take eighth getting 30 points. The Bulldogs' had their best meet at the Walt Disney Cross Country Classic in mid-October where six of their seven top 5k times were ran.
Evansville tallied 24 points and the ninth spot while Creighton rounds out the pre-championship poll in tenth (18 points). Coming off a personal-best time in her latest race, Kelby Jenkins will pace the Purple Aces at the Championship. Jenkins performance also was the top 5k time for Evansville this season. Competing in her first Conference Championship, Meghan Barry will be a strong competitor for the Jays as she has been their top finisher in three of their five races.
Indiana State will be streaming the 2011 State Farm MVC Cross Country Championship. Click here to watch
| 2011 Cross Country Pre-Championship Poll |
| MEN |
WOMEN |
| Rank |
Team (1st-place votes) |
Points |
Rank |
Team (1st-place votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Southern Illinois (3) |
73 |
1 |
Wichita State (7) |
97 |
| 2 |
Indiana State (4) |
70 |
2 |
Illinois State (2) |
88 |
| 3 |
Drake (1) |
68 |
3 |
Missouri State |
69 |
| 4 |
Wichita State (1) |
59 |
4 |
Southern Illinois |
67 |
| 5 |
Illinois State |
44 |
5 |
Indiana State (1) |
62 |
| 6 |
Bradley |
31 |
6 |
Bradley |
61 |
| 7 |
UNI |
26 |
7 |
UNI |
34 |
| 8 |
Evansville |
21 |
8 |
Drake |
30 |
| 9 |
Creighton |
13 |
9 |
Evansville |
24 |
|
|
|
10 |
Creighton |
18 |