2005 Women's
Cross
Country Outlook
The University of Southern Indiana women’s cross country program
enters the 2005 campaign with its sights set on the GLVC championship and a trip
to the NCAA II National Championships.
Under the direction of eighth-year Head Coach Mike
Hillyard, the Screaming Eagles return a plethora of talent, most notably
the defending GLVC and NCAA II Great Lakes Regional Champion,
Heather Cooksey.
Cooksey, who became the first female cross country runner to win a conference
title last year, finished 17th at the NCAA II Championships last season and will
be one of the top runners in the country as a senior in 2005. She is a 10-time
All-American in cross country and track after finishing second in the 5,000
meters and third in the 3,000 meters at the NCAA II Outdoor Track and Field
Championships.
Junior Missy Burgin also
will be one of the top runners in the GLVC and the NCAA II Great Lakes Region.
The two-time All-GLVC performer put herself in the regional spotlight last
spring when she won a pair of titles at the GLVC Outdoor Track and Field
Championships. She earned All-America honors in the Distance Medley Relay last
winters and qualified for the NCAA II Outdoor Track and Field Championships by
running the fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase time in the Great Lakes Region.
The return of senior Casey
Schneider will give the Eagles another big-time threat when the GLVC
Championships roll up in October. Schneider, who has been hampered by injury
during the last year and a half, is a two-time All-Region and three-time All-GLVC
selection in cross country. She also has won two GLVC championships on the
track.
Hillyard and the Eagles also are excited about the healthy returns of sophomores
Meagan Scheidler and
Brittany Stellhorn. Both
were top five performers in each of the first three meets in 2004 before their
seasons where hindered by injuries.
Other top returnees contending for spots in USI’s top seven include seniors
Jennifer Finch and
Lydia Flora as well as juniors
Amy Shoemaker and
Carrie Leimberger. Finch
made great progress last spring and was a solid performer last fall, finishing
17th at the GLVC Cross Country Championships and running number two for the
Eagles at the NCAA II Great Lakes Regional Championships.
Flora has appeared in two NCAA II Championship meets and her senior leadership
will be vital for the Eagles in 2005.
Shoemaker and Leimberger are the two most improved runners on the roster and are
in a position to compete for a spot in the top seven.
Sophomore Holly Clevenger
also will challenge for a spot in the top seven after running top seven for the
Eagles early in the season a year ago.
“We are as deep as we have ever been,” Hillyard said. “I feel
that we have 16 girls capable of cracking our top seven.
“Of course, depth doesn’t matter at the regional and national meets,” Hillyard
continued. “You have to have seven ready to compete at a high level and we will
do all that we can to make that a reality. I feel that we have a nice blend of
experienced frontrunners and ambitious, talented newcomers.”
Leading the list of newcomers are freshmen
Kathy Goebel and
Allie Shafer. The two have jumped in and moved
right to the front of the group during preseason workouts. Goebel was a two-time
semi-state qualifier at Mater Dei High School, while Shafer was the Southwest
Indiana Athletic Conference champion as a senior at North Davies High School.
The Eagles could get a big boost if freshman
Lyndsay Overton can run with
Goebel and Shafer. Overton has solid high school credentials after becoming the
second female in New Albany High School history to qualify for four IHSAA Cross
Country Championship meets. She also was a teammate of Burgin at NAHS.
Freshman Christy Dixon may
have the most untapped talent on the team and could be a key contributor down
the stretch. She graduated from Owensboro Catholic High School where she earned
second-team All-State honors as a senior in cross country after earning
honorable mention All-State honors in 2001 and 2003. Dixon as a four-time state
qualifier in cross country and was 14th at the Kentucky Class AA Championships.
Other newcomers that could provide a boost for the Eagles are freshmen
Marcia Welfen and
Kate Powell. Welfen has been a
pleasant surprise during the preseason workouts and was a two-time conference
champion at Rossville High School in Rossville, Indiana, while Powell figures to
be a strong performer in the 6k despite a few setbacks which marred her summer
training. Powell was a two-time All-Conference performer as well as an honorable
mention All-State selection.
USI’s season starts September 3 at the University of Evansville Early Bird
Invitational and continues September 16 at the Indiana Intercollegiate in
Bloomington, Indiana. The Eagles will run two other meets prior to the GLVC
Championships, which take place October 22 in Rensselaer, Indiana.
The NCAA II Great Lakes Regional meet will be held in Grand Rapids, Michigan,
November 5, while the NCAA II National Championships are November 19 in Pomona,
California.
