Both University of Southern Indiana Cross Country teams are looking to repeat as Great Lakes Valley Conference Champions; the women trying to go back-to-back and the men seek their 16th consecutive title at Principia Cross Country Course, Saturday in Elsah, Illinois.
Women:
How They Got Here: The women have rolled through their first two meets to pick up victories in both the GLVC Triangular (32 points) and East Divisional (41 points), ultimately earning them a spot in the GLVC Championships.
Who’s Leading The Way: Senior Jennifer Comastri has assumed the leadership role from the jump with two second-place finishes in both of her meets only trailing behind one of the fastest runners in the conference, Lauren Bailey. Another constant thus far has been freshman Alison Morphew as she turned two top-ten finishes in both meets, including a fourth overall performance at the GLVC Triangular. Also, sophomore Aubrey Swart and Senior Doriane Langlois both scored for USI in both meets and more importantly finished second and fifth on the team at the GLVC East Divisional, respectively. The other good news is behind the top finishers the number four through seven finishers have an incredible pack mentality. For instance, at the East Divisional the spread amongst those runners averaged out to be about a 6.73 second spread.
The Championship Field: USI will compete against the other qualifiers from the Eastern Divisional which are University of Illinois Springfield, University of Indianapolis and Lewis University. There are also four other squads who qualified from the West Divisional most notably the top teams who pose a strong threat, Southwest Baptist University and Drury University.
Men:
How They Got Here: The men battled their way through the GLVC Triangular (second of three teams) then came back nicely in the East Divisional (47 points) were they posted a second overall team finish awarding them a berth in the GLVC Championship.
Who’s Leading The Way: Seniors Gavin Prior and Wyat Harmon have anchored the ship thus far both with at least a top-five and top-ten finish overall in both meets, scoring low for the Screaming Eagles. Senior Grady Wilkinson has been a steady cog for the team having scored in both meets while placing in the top 15 both occasions. The Eagles have gotten support recently from their two transfers in sophomore Braden Nicholson and junior Noah Hufnagel who were the third and fourth USI finishers at the East Divisional, respectively. Last, freshman Silas Winders could be an X-factor as he debuted in the GLVC Triangular with a fifth-place overall finish but was unable to finish at the East Divisional. The GLVC Championship could be the perfect bounce back race and most crucial for Winders.
The Championship Field: USI will compete against their East Divisional foes who also qualified for the big race; Lewis University (East Divisional Champions), University of Illinois Springfield and University of Indianapolis. Also joining them are those teams that fought their way through the West Divisional; Lindenwood University (West Divisional Champions), Southwest Baptist University, Drury University and Missouri University of Science & Technology.
‘B’ Races: ‘B’ races will be held for teams that failed to qualify for the championship or ‘A’ race along with other individuals from all teams due to limited roster size in the ‘A’ race.
The 2020 GLVC Cross Country Championships will be kicked off with the ‘B’ races, which are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. start times starting with the men’s race first. The Championship or ‘A’ races will follow at 3:30 p.m. and 4:15 p.m., again the men going off first. The 42nd annual men’s 8,000-meter and the 37th annual women’s 6,000-meter race will be ones no one will soon forget given the importance as well as the finality to the season. Last, the GLVC has offered a tape-delayed stream which can be accessed at GLVCSN.com or through the GLVCSN app.
