After successful showings at the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships and the NCAA II Midwest Region Championships, both University of Southern Indiana cross country programs turn their attention to the NCAA II Cross Country Championships in St. Leo, Florida. The Screaming Eagle men toe the line at 7:30 a.m. (CST) for a 10k race, while the women begin their 6k-race at 8:45 a.m. (CST).
USI in the Rankings
The USI women are ranked eighth in the U.S Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association poll as it enters the season’s final meet. The Eagles began the year ranked 10th, before working their way to their highest national ranking since 2008, reaching sixth on two separate occasions.
On the men’s side, USI started the year ranked eighth in the USTFCCCA preseason poll. After falling to 13th in the second rankings of the year, the Eagles have climbed to seventh, where they have remained in the post two editions of the USTFCCCA Top 25.
Regional Recap
Senior Jessica Reeves (Midland, Michigan) earned her first collegiate victory while earning Midwest Region Runner of the Year honors by taking the top spot at the NCAA II Midwest Regional Championships. In the process, Reeves broke the USI 6k record with her time of 20 minutes, 8.90 seconds. Just seven seconds behind her, junior Emily Roberts (Fredericktown, Ohio) also earned All-Region honors with a runner-up finish. Roberts owned the previous 6k school record which she set at the 2015 NCAA II National Championships.
Second-ranked Grand Valley State University was the top finishing team with 43 points, while seventh-ranked Cedarville University was next with 103. With 123 points, USI secured a third place finish, while 11th-ranked Northern Michigan University and 13th-ranked Hillsdale College round out the top-five teams advancing the National Championships.
Four USI Men’s Cross Country runners earned All-Region honors with top-25 finishes to help the Eagles to a second-place finish at the NCAA II Midwest Region Championships. Senior Chase Broughton (Marengo, Indiana) was the team’s top finisher in sixth, with fellow classmate Noah Lutz (Evansville, Indiana) also earning a top-10 finish. Junior Bastian Grau (Höchstadt, Germany) and sophomore Darin Lawrence (Indianapolis, Indiana) also earned All-Region honors with finishes of 23rd and 24th, respectively,
Third-ranked Grand Valley was the top finishing team with 45 points, while USI followed with 99. Also earning bids to the National Championships were 12th-ranked Saginaw Valley State University, 16th-ranked Hillsdale, and 20th-ranked Lewis University.
Postseason Success
Making their 12th appearance in the National Championships, and their second consecutive, the USI women look to add to their postseason success. This season, the Eagles brought the all-time totals to 79 All-Conference awards and 35 All-Region honors. Reeves and Roberts look to add to the 11 total cross country All-America awards the program has earned.
Earning their 12th-straight appearance in the National Championships, and 23rd overall, the USI men also look to add to their impressive post season award totals. This season, the Eagles brought their all-time All-GLVC and All-Region award totals to 135 and 63, each. In the last meet of the season, USI looks to add to their total of 26 all-time cross country All-America honors.
A look back at the 2015 National Championships
Roberts’ fifth-place finish overall propelled the women to a 10th-place finish as a team in last year’s event. The fifth-place finish was the highest for an Eagle runner since Mary Ballinger finished fifth in 2009.
Adams State University captured the team title with a score of 83 points, while Grand Valley (97 points) and Hillsdale College were second and third, respectively.
In 2015, the USI men earned a 10th-place finish in Joplin, Missouri, in a field of 32 teams. Johnnie Guy earned All-America honors, finishing in 23rd, while Lutz turned a top-50 performance, crossing the finish line in 45th.
Colorado Mines won the team title with 100 points, while Adams State and the University of Alaska-Anchorage were second and third, respectively. Shorter University’s Alfred Chelanga won the individual title with a time of 29:24.60.
A look at the 2016 National Championships
The field for both races will be compiled of 32 teams of seven runners, as well as 24 runners who advanced out of their regionals as an individual. Both races will take place on the Abbey Course in St. Leo, Florida.
