November 05, 2003
Eagles riding momentum into regional championships
The University of Southern Indiana cross country teams are looking to use the momentum of their respective conference championships Saturday as they compete at the NCAA II Great Lakes Regional Championships in Allendale, Michigan. The Screaming Eagles are looking to advance to the women’s nationals for the second straight season and the men’s nationals for the first time since 1997.
While the women’s squad should have a much easier time advancing, the men will face an uphill battle as the Great Lakes Region will advance just two teams to nationals. The women’s side of the region will advance its top four finishers.
Leading USI’s men, which are ranked 10th in Division II and second in the region, is junior Doug Schwartz (Centralia, Illinois) and sophomore Jesse Davis (Bloomington, Indiana). Schwartz finished fifth at the GLVC Championships with a 10k time of 32:32.9 while Davis was USI’s top finisher at the league meet, crossing the finish line in third place with a 10k time of 32:22.3.
Junior Will Siemers (Bensenville, Illinois) also had a top 10 performance at the conference championships. Siemers, who earned All-GLVC honors along with Davis and Schwartz, finished eighth with a 10k time of 32:46.3.
USI’s women, which are ranked seventh in Division II and second in the region, had four runners earn All-GLVC honors a couple of weeks ago. Senior Jenny Farmer (Princeton, Indiana), sophomore Heather Cooksey (Brownsburg, Indiana), and junior Casey Schneider (New Salisbury, Indiana) finished second, third, and fourth, respectively, at the GLVC Championships. Farmer crossed the finish line with a 6k time of 22:51.5 while Cooksey ran the race in 23:02.4 and Schneider in 23:21.8.
Freshman Missy Burgin (Sellersburg, Indiana) earned All-GLVC and GLVC “Freshman of the Year” honors after finishing ninth at the league meet with a 6k time of 24:02.30.
USI will depart for Allendale Thursday, November 6, at 1:30 p.m.
The NCAA II National Championships are slated for Saturday, November 22, in Cary, North Carolina.
Dan McDonnell,
USI Sports Information
