McKendree Cross Country Teams Set to Race in GLVC Championships

GLVC CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS WEBSITE

(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 19)—The McKendree University men's and women's cross country teams will have the first chance at bringing home a Great Lakes Valley Conference championship this weekend in Springfield, Mo.
 
The Bearcats will be among 13 schools running in the 2012 GLVC Cross Country Championships on Saturday. The event will be hosted by Drury University, with the men's eight-kilometer race set for a 10:30 a.m. start, followed by the women's six-kilometer competition at 11:30 a.m.
 
While McKendree is in its provisional year of the NCAA Division II membership process and ineligible for NCAA post-season competition, the Bearcats are able to compete for GLVC championships in a handful of events. Those opportunities can come in sports that do not have a direct qualifying route to the NCAA post-season.
 
The McKendree runners became familiar with the course for the GLVC Championship last month when the Bearcats competed on the same course at the Richard Clark Invitational hosted by Missouri State University. Both squads finished in the top seven of their respective fields, with the men taking fifth overall while the women grabbed seventh place.
 
For the McKendree men's team, juniors Elkana Kipsang (Eldoret, Kenya/Legebet) and Blake DeLong (Hillsboro, IL/Hillsboro) had strong tune-ups for the GLVC Championship two weeks ago at the Rose-Hulman Pre-National Meet in Indiana. Kipsang raced to a second-place finish overall in a field of 376 runners, while DeLong was right behind in third place.
 
Seniors Ryan Todd (Jerseyville, IL/Jersey Community) and Darren Hooks (Alhambra, IL/Highland), and sophomore Ryan Todd (Jerseyville, IL/Jersey Community) have also produced solid times for McKendree throughout the season.
 
The University of Southern Indiana is the seven-time defending GLVC men's cross country champion, winning the 2011 event on its home course in Evansville, Ind.
 
On the women's side, the Bearcats are led by a trio of juniors in Hannah Inyart (Belleville, IL/Belleville East), Megan Doty(Collinsville, IL/Triad) and Lauren Ewart (Troy, IL/Triad). Inyart has delivered the top times for McKendree throughout the regular season, while Doty and Ewart have contended as well.
 
Freshman Kourtney Huelskamp (Breese, IL/Mater Dei) has enjoyed a strong first season with the Bearcats, which included a top-50 effort at the Washington University Early Bird Invitational.
 
Southern Indiana also won the 2011 women's crown, topping Bellarmine University by just six points in the final standings. The title was the Eagles' third in the last four years.