FULL RELEASE
MVC Male Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Josh Yeager, Jr., Center Point, Iowa - Drake
Josh was Drake’s top finisher at the season-opening Hawkeye Invitational by finishing 12th overall on the 6k course in 18:14.0 in a meet that featured competitors from Iowa, Iowa State, UNI and Illinois State. He was the top finisher from the Valley at the meet and finished less than half a minute behind the leaders. His 6k time is currently the best in the MVC.
MVC Female Cross Country Athlete of the Week
Jessica Allen, Senior, Liberty, Mo. – Missouri State
Allen ran a personal best 4K time, 14:04.8, at the J.K. Gold Classic on Saturday. It marked the fastest 4K time in the conference by over 18 seconds during the weekend. She finished third overall, but finished first among collegiate runners, running against 108 other competitors and three D1 teams. Allen also led the pack of 14 Bears in the race at the RAFT Golf Course in Augusta, Kan.
Other notable performances:
MEN
Nikolas Hess - Bradley
Senior Nikolas Hess led the Braves at the season-opening EIU Walt Crawford Open. He posted his first top-10 finish since the 2014 campaign, placing sixth overall at the meet with an 8K time of 25:40.23. He set career highs with his sixth-place finish (previous best was eighth) and his 8K time shaved 15 seconds off his previous PR time.
Scott Anderson – Illinois State
In his collegiate debut at Iowa’s Hawkeye Invitational on Friday, Anderson led the Redbird squad to head-to-head victories over Creighton and Drake. Competing on the Ashton Cross Country Course’s rolling terrain, Anderson was the first Redbird to cross the 6K finish line in 18:31.80, placing 18th overall in a field of 77 runners.
Cain Hassim - Southern Illinois
Cain Hassim was Southern Illinois’ top male finisher at the Golden Eagle Invitational on Sept. 2. Running at his first cross country meet as a Saluki, Hassim finished the 6K in 15th with a time of 20:20.
Sidney Noble - Valparaiso
Sindey Noble finished 17th at the Crusader Open with a 6K time of 19:38.1 on a very hilly course. Sidney missed all of last season with an injury.
WOMEN
Nicole Alfano - Bradley
Senior Nicole Alfano led the Braves at the Eastern Illinois Walt Crawford Open. She placed 11th overall at the meet with a 5K time of 18:39.66 – just missing her previous personal-best time by less than a second
Bailee Cofer - Drake
Was Drake’s top finisher at the season-opening Hawkeye Invitational finishing 10th overall on the 4k course in 14:25.7 against competitors from Iowa, Iowa State, UNI and Illinois State. Her 4k time was the second fastest in the Valley over the weekend.
Dakota Roman - Illinois State
For the second-consecutive season, Roman notched a top-12 finish at Iowa’s Hawkeye Invitational. After placing 12th overall in 2016, Roman used her experience on the Ashton Cross Country Course’s rolling terrain to her advantage in 2017. Not only was she the first Redbird to cross the finish line, but she finished 11th overall out of 61 competitors with a personal-best 4K time of 14:27.50.
Tiffany Christensen - UNI
Tiffany Christensen finished 12th overall in her first meet of the fall to earn a career-best day as a Panther. She booked a time of 14:28.4 at the Hawkeye Invite to lead the Panthers. The time ranks as the third-fastest 4K time in UNI women’s cross country history and was good for 12th-place at the meet. The Ashton Cross Country Course boasts a rolling terrain with an outstanding rhythm for running.
Megan Krolak - Southern Illinois
Megan Krolak won her first collegiate individual title in her Saluki cross country debut at the Golden Eagle Invitational. She claimed the top spot with a personal-best 5k time of 18:52.6 in a field that featured runners from Mississippi State, Auburn, and Western Kentucky. The Peru, Ill. native is the first Saluki to win an individual title since Kelley Gallagher won the Saluki Invitational on Sept. 20, 2014.
Kim Heiny - Valparaiso
Kim Heiny took 18th-place at the Crusader Open with her 5K time of 19:15.9. She trimmed 23 seconds off last year’s performance at the Crusader Open.