USI MCC Season Outlook

2003 Men's Cross Country Outlook

The University of Southern Indiana men’s cross country team is looking to do something no USI men’s team has done in 12 years, win a GLVC Championship! In 2002, the Screaming Eagles finished third at the GLVC Championships and fifth at the NCAA II Great Lakes Regional Championships. They also won the Saluki Invitational and the small college championship at the Indiana Intercollegiate.

However, the Eagles had a wrench thrown into their hopes when they learned that the two-time defending GLVC champion Joey Byrne would not be returning due to an injury he suffered last winter.

Despite the loss, there is reason to believe that the Eagles can accomplish their goal in 2003 as they return two of their top five runners in addition to the return of red-shirt junior Doug Schwartz (Centralia, Illinois), sophomore Danny Fisher (Nashville, Indiana), and the addition of sophomore transfer Jesse Davis (Bloomington, Indiana).

With Schwartz’s return, the Eagles will have someone to challenge for a GLVC championship and a Great Lakes Regional championship. Schwartz had an outstanding outdoor track and field season in which he won All-GLVC honors and posted three NCAA II provisional qualifying times in the 5,000 meters. His time of 14:31.31 in the 5,000 is the top time for all returning runners in the Great Lakes Region.

As a sophomore in 2001, Schwartz finished seventh at the GLVC Cross Country Championships.

Combined with senior Mark Thurner (Hebron, Indiana), who returns after earning All-GLVC and All-Region honors as a junior in 2002, the Eagles will have a one-two punch equal to any in the Great Lakes Region.

In 2002-03, Thurner finished third at the GLVC Championships and qualified for the NCAA II Outdoor Track and Field National Championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with the region’s top time of 9:10.11. Thurner was USI’s second runner to cross the finish line in four different cross country races last season. He earned All-GLVC honors as a sophomore in 2001.

The Eagles will also get a boost from returning junior Will Siemers (Bensenville, Illinois), who finished seventh at the league meet last season and figures to be a top contender in 2003. During the outdoor track and field season, Siemers took a big step, running NCAA II provisional marks in the 5,000 meters (14:40.96) and 10,000 meters (31:18.96).

Siemers earned JUCO All-America honors as a freshman in 2001 before transferring to USI in 2002.

The return of Fisher will give the Eagles added depth as he is expected to join Schwartz, Siemers, and Thurner at the front of the pack in 2003. Fisher finished 11th at the GLVC Championships and 25th at the Great Lakes Regional Championships in 2001.

Adding to the mix in USI’s top five is Davis, who was Ball State University’s top finisher at the Mid-America Conference Championships in 2002. Davis’s 8k time of 25:25.30 at the MAC Championships would have been second among USI times from a year ago.

Sophomore Jake England (Valparaiso, Indiana) had an impressive freshman campaign in 2002 and should be a strong candidate to challenge USI’s top five in 2003. England was one of USI’s top five runners in two meets last season, including the GLVC Championships in which he finished 23rd.

Fellow classmate Rob Garwood (Columbus, Indiana) is a solid contender for USI’s top seven after finishing third in the 10,000 meters at the GLVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships during the spring.

Junior Zach Toothman (Tell City, Indiana) and freshman Flaco Perales (Milford, Indiana) also should contend for USI’s top seven in 2003. Toothman sat out the 2002 cross country season, but his times in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 5,000 meters were promising. Perales earned All-State honors after finishing 23rd at the IHSAA Cross Country Championships in 2002.

Vying for USI’s top seven will be a number of runners including senior Lance Sluder (Fairbanks, Indiana); juniors Tim Searcy (New Harmony, Indiana) and Joe Morrison (Shoals, Indiana); sophomores Alan Schulze (Owensville, Indiana), David Tyler (Evansville, Indiana), and Kenny Young (Avon, Indiana); and red-shirt freshman Bryan Emerson (Georgetown, Indiana).

USI’s 2003 campaign will start Friday, September 5, when the Eagles travel to Nashville, Tennessee to take part in the Belmont Opener. The Eagles finished third in last season’s Belmont Opener and will need a similar performance this season in preparation for the Indiana Intercollegiate, slated for Friday, September 19, in Terre Haute, Indiana.

A week later, USI will embark on a trip to Cary, North Carolina, the site of the 2003 NCAA II National Championships, to partake in the Great American Cross Country Festival.

After competing in the Illinois/Missouri Border Wars on October 11, USI will travel across town a week later to compete in the Evansville Invitational.

The Eagles will get their chance to win their first GLVC title since 1991 Saturday, October 25, as they travel to Romeoville, Illinois, for the GLVC Championships.

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