Oct. 28, 2006
LINCOLN, Neb. -
After being picked to finish in sixth place in each championship race by the league coaches, the Illinois State women's and men's cross country teams slipped in the standings, finishing in seventh and eighth place, respectively, at the 2006 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championships, Saturday morning in Lincoln, Neb.
The women's team finished in seventh with a total of 160 points at Pioneer Park in Lincoln. The Redbird men's squad finished the championships eighth in the standings with 168 points. Head coach Jeff Bovee was disappointed in the Redbirds' finish, feeling that the team did not perform up to their potential.
"It was pretty rough today," said Bovee. "We are pretty disappointed with the way we finished. We had higher expectations heading into this race, because we have a more talented group than what we showed."
Sophomore Kathleen Thompson (18:47.75) led the Redbirds with a 21st place finish. Thompson was followed by senior Betsy McDonald, who finished in 23rd with a time of 18:52.65. Junior Suzy Turner (31st) finished in 19:04.70. Competing in her first conference championship, freshman Kim Ebbesen finished in a time of 19:23.45 and in 38th. Sophomore Kim Smudde, who returned for a mid-season injury, placed 48th, clocking in at 19:45.20. Sophomore Stacey Turilli (20:12.15) finished in 55th place, while senior Maureen Nelligan (62nd) finished in a time of 20:34.25
Wichita State, the pre-championship favorite in the women's race, won the conference championship with 38 points. The Shockers were led by Chelsie Baldwin, who finished in second place with a time of 17:40.30. Southern Illinois finished in second place, while Missouri State was only three points behind the Salukis in third place. Northern Iowa was next with 90 points, Indiana State finished in fifth place, Bradley (156 points) finished in sixth and Drake finished in eighth place. Creighton finished with 201 points and in ninth and Evansville finished in 10th place.
Drake's Ashley Anklam took home the individual crown, finishing the race in a time of 17:36.80.
On the men's side, sophomore Mike Richardson led the Redbirds, finishing in 25th place with a time of 26:26.05. Freshman Jordan Anderson (26:29.70) finished just three seconds behind Richardson and in 28th place. Freshman Scott Krapf (34th) finished with a time of 26:40.15. Junior Brian Glaza finished in 40th place, clocking in at 26:53.40. Competing in his final conference championship, senior Bronco Meeks (27:06.95) finished the race in 43rd. Sophomore Brian Syring finished in 59th place, while freshman Rob Barkulis finished in 65th.
Indiana State, who was also the pre-championship favorite in the men's 8K race, won the championship with 50 points. Drake finished in second place, while Southern Illinois finished in third with 71 points. Wichita State finished in fourth place, Northern Iowa finished in fifth with 137 points, Bradley (151 points) finished in sixth, Evansville finished in seventh and Creighton finished in ninth with 213 points. Southern Illinois' Mohamed Mohamed won individual honors, finishing with a time of 24:56.85.
While the Redbirds did not finish where they would have liked in the standings, Bovee is confident that he will be able to help turn the Redbirds' fortunes around.
"I was brought in here to change the culture of the program," said Bovee. "We want to bring the program back to a championship caliber team, and that's what I am going to do. It starts with a winning attitude, as well as bringing in some more depth on both teams. We can only go up, and we have some kids that can help us in the future."
