 |
By Chad Hensley, NKU Sports Information Men's Results | Women's Results CHICAGO, Ill. - The Northern Kentucky University men's and women's cross country teams completed the 36th annual Seal Earl Lakefront Invitational at Montrose Beach on Saturday with sixth and 17th place finishes, respectively. The men, who had all harriers finish within a 1:18 span, were paced by Drew Harris' 13th-place finish. Harris, a sophomore from Alexandria, Ky., completed the eight-kilometer race in a time of 25:17 - a new personal best while at NKU for that distance. Harris's previous best eight-kilometer time of 25:45 was attained at the 2007 Southern Stampede in Joplin, Mo. NKU head coach Steve Kruse knows he can count on Matthew Shoulta to always run a strong race, and the senior didn't disappoint his coach on this day. Shoulta's time of 25:52 was good enough for 35th place overall and second on the team. Ryne Smith headed a group of Norse runners who all finished within 25 seconds of each other. Smith completed the course in a time of 26:10 for 48th place. Zach Koehler, running in his first race of the fall after battling injuries throughout the preseason, had a brilliant performance of 26:19 and a 59th place. Ben Foley (59th, 26:21), Eddie Griffin (66th, 26:24), and Eric Dwyer (77th, 26:35) completed the roster of Norse harriers in the field of 371 runners. The
men combined for 184 points and a sixth-place result, while fellow
Midwest Region foes Saginaw Valley State (320 points), Ferris State
(517), and Indianapolis (625) finished in 10th, 19th, and 23rd, Malone College, the defending NAIA national champion, won the team competition with 44 points. Illinois (52 points), DePaul (144), Western Ontario (170), and Aquinas (178) rounded out the top five. On the women's side, Jenna Siemer was the top performer on Kruse's squad for the second time in three races this season. Siemer, a St. Henry product, completed the five-kilometer course in 19:05 and was awarded a 43rd-place finish. As with the men, the women ran a team race as the first and last runner finished within 1:52 of each other. Janice Laker, a junior from Batesville, Ind., earned an 81st-place finish out of the 330 runner field with a time of 19:43. The Norse roster was completed by Jerrica Maddox (113th place, 20:14), Rose Morgan (127th, 20:21), Kira Cooper (133rd, 20:26), and Tarah Cole (165th, 20:57). Big 10 cross country power Northwestern won the team competition with 76 points. Missouri (93 points), Malone (97), Alabama (108), and host Loyola (Ill.) (124) rounded out the top five. Just as the men did, the women also competed against Midwest Region foes Ferris State (8th place, 283 points), Saginaw Valley State (16th, 429), and Indianapolis (22nd, 612). Sara Vaughn of the University of Alabama and Nikolaus Schweikert of Malone College earned medalists honors for their performances. Vaughn completed the women's five-kilometer race in 17:37 while Schweikert ran the men's eight-kilometers in 24:49. The Norse will take to the course next on Saturday, Oct. 4 in the Greater Louisville Classic at the E.P. "Tom" Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky. Racing will commence at 10 a.m. |
