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By Chad Hensley, NKU Sports Information HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - When the season began, NKU cross country coach Steve Kruse knew that having a strong schedule would help both the men’s and women’s teams in October and November. With the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championships meet this Saturday, it looks as Kruse’s scheduling is paying off. When asked if the tough early scheduling has prepared both teams for a postseason run, Kruse said: “Absolutely. We have sought out meets that had a competitive mix of all Divisions and have faced many nationally ranked teams this season. It gives us a true measure on where we stand in accomplishing our team goals.” NKU will travel to Indianapolis, Ind., and take part in the GLVC Championships, which is being hosted at the Varsity Fields of Butler University. With a strong core of runners returning on the men’s side, Kruse knew that it would be difficult for a freshman to contend for a top spot on the roster. Ryne Smith has been the top performer for the Norse twice this season, and Drew Harris is consistently among the top five. Kruse speaks highly of the duo, “On the men’s side, a pleasant surprise have been freshmen Ryne Smith and Drew Harris stepping up and claiming a varsity spot high in the lineup. I knew they would fit into our top seven but did not know that they would be so close to our returning top runners.” Matthew Shoulta has been the team’s most consistent runners as the junior from Paducah, Ky., has finished as the second harrier on Kruse’s talented team. Zach Koehler, Brad Bullock, Keith Knapp, Greg Lemmon, and Adam Stoppelwerth have all performed very well together in helping the Norse climb to the 21st position in the USTFCCCA Division II top 25. When it comes to any one individual on the men’s squad making a name for himself this weekend, Kruse isn’t exactly sure who that person is. “I couldn’t tell you. We run in such a strong pack that any of our top five guys could be our top runner and he will be followed immediately by the next four or five teammates.” On the women’s front, Kruse is pleased with how the team has performed this season compared to last season. The 14th-year coach said, “Our women have been much more consistent and are proving to be a stronger team than they were last year.”
Julianne Hoekzema, a senior from Fairfield, Ohio, is putting up the numbers that are expected of a team captain as she has been the top runner for the Norse in every race and hasn’t finished worse than sixth in all five meets. “For the women, Julianne (Hoekzema) has proven herself as one of the best runners in the region and she will do very well in the post-season. Our other top women have been closing that gap on Julianne and they are expecting to surprise a couple of teams,” Kruse said. The other women that Kruse speaks of are Jenna Siemer, Alisha Hansman, Janice Laker, Ariana Reid, Chelsea Cantrall, Samantha Geiger and Ashley Jones. When the season began, Kruse knew that the men’s squad was going to have another good year and that the women were going to improve after every race, but little did he know that both would be having the seasons they’re having. “We are ranked third in the GLVC for both the men’s and women’s teams, which is a different situation for both teams. I can’t ever recall being ranked higher than fifth going into the GLVC Championships,” Kruse said. Although performing well at the conference meet will bode well for any team, Kruse is putting more emphasis on the Great Lakes Regional meet. “While the GLVC is an important race and always nice to do well in, our focus is and has been the regional meet. You could win every meet up to that point but if you tank on the day of the regional, the season is over. “I always tell our teams that I would rather be the GLVC runner-up that goes to the national meet than the GLVC champion that stays home. It is my hopes that our athletes return with the confidence gained from a solid race performance and with additional knowledge of the GLVC teams that we will be running against at the regional meet on November 3.” The women’s
six-kilometer race will get underway at 9:30 a.m. followed by the
men’s eight-kilometer at 10:30 a.m. |
