The University of Southern Indiana men’s and women’s cross country teams begin the 2017 campaign Friday, when they travel to Boone, North Carolina, for the Covered Bridge Open hosted by Appalachian State.
On the men’s side, the Screaming Eagles begin the year ranked sixth nationally by the U.S Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, and are ranked second in the Midwest Region behind Grand Valley State. This is the third time that USI has been ranked sixth in the preseason poll, tying for the highest in program history.
After losing two All-Midwest Region and All-American performers from a year ago, the USI men will be looking for contributors from last season to take the next step forward as they take aim at their 13thconsecutive GLVC Championship.
Senior Bastian Grau (Höchstadt, Germany) returns after earning All-GLVC and All-Midwest Region honors a year ago and is coming off an Indoor Track & Field National Championship in the mile.
Grau is joined by other returning All-GLVC performers junior Darin Lawrence (Indianapolis, Indiana), senior Cain Parker (Petersburg, Indiana), senior James Cecil (Owensboro, Kentucky) and last season’s GLVC Freshman of the Year sophomore Nathan Hall (Springfield, Missouri).
For the women, the Eagles are ranked fifth nationally by the USTFCCA, while also ranked second in the region behind GVSU. Fifth is the highest USI has been ranked in the preseason in program history.
Leading the women’s team will be All-GLVC, All-Midwest Region and All-American senior Emily Roberts(Fredericktown, Ohio), who is coming off a second-place finish to former teammate Jessica Reeves at the Midwest Region Championships and a fifth-place finish at the NCAA II National Championships.
With only three newcomers this year, a veteran Eagles team is looking to capture their seventh consecutive Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship. Returning members that competed at the NCAA II Championships are senior Jessica Lincoln (Palatine, Illinois), senior Bryce Cutler (Benzonia, Michigan) and junior Hope Jones (Cumberland, Indiana). Jones and Lincoln also earned All-GLVC honors last season.
The meet Friday will be a 5k race for the women beginning at 4 p.m. (CST), while the men will run an 8k race that starts at 4:45 p.m. (CST).
