State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championships
Sun., Oct. 30, 2011
Terre Haute, Ind.
The University of Northern Iowa men's and women's cross country teams will travel to the 2011 Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championships being held Sun., Oct. 30, at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind. The men's 8k race will start at 10:30 a.m., followed by the women's 5k race at 11:30 a.m.
Panther Men, Women Picked Seventh in Pre-Championship Poll
The UNI men's and women's cross country teams were each picked seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference's pre-championship poll.
UNI earned 26 points in the men's poll to secure seventh place. Junior Brett Egan has led the Panther men all season, and he owns the top 8k time on the team heading into the MVC Championship. Egan will be joined by seniors Brady Fritz, Aaron Vosberg, Brendan Thompson and David Nielsen, junior Ryan Krogmann and freshmen Terry Nielsen and Tanner Reyhons.
On the women's side, the Panthers garnered 34 points in the poll for the seventh-place nod. Senior Jill Lageschulte owns the fastest 5k time by a Panther this season. Joining Lageschulte in Terre Haute will be juniors Scotti Schon, Leah Blanchard, Hayley Thomas, Lindsey Wilkins, Allison Fick and April Davidshofer, and freshman Alex Wilson.
The Southern Illinois men and Wichita State women were voted as the pre-championship favorites in the poll of league head coaches.
2011 Men's Pre-Championship Poll
Rank Team (1st-place votes) Points
1. Southern Illinois (3).............................. 73
2. Indiana State (4).....................................70
3. Drake (1)................................................68
4. Wichita State (1)................................... .59
5. Illinois State............................................44
6. Bradley...................................................31
7. UNI........................................................26
8. Evansville...............................................21
9. Creighton...............................................13
2011 Women's Pre-Championship Poll
Rank Team (1st-place votes) Points
1. Wichita State (7)....................................97
2. Illinois State (2)......................................88
3. Missouri State........................................69
4. Southern Illinois.....................................67
5. Indiana State (1).....................................62
6. Bradley...................................................61
7. UNI........................................................34
8. Drake......................................................30
9. Evansville...............................................24
10. Creighton..............................................18
Last Time Out
The UNI men's and women's cross country teams competed at the Bradley Classic on Oct. 14, with the Panther men taking 11th place as a team and the UNI women claiming 12th place. All 18 UNI runners recorded season-best performances. Seven Panther women and four men also notched personal-best times.
Junior Brett Egan led the men's squad for the fourth time this season, posting a season-best 8k time of 25:11.90 for ninth place overall. Senior Jill Lageschulte led the UNI women for the second-straight meet and for the second consecutive year at the Bradley Classic 6k. Lageschulte crossed the line in 22:25.75 for 42nd place and a new season-best.
One Year Ago
Brett Egan earned All-MVC honors for the first time in his career with an eighth-place finish at the 2010 MVC Championship.
2010 Missouri Valley Conference Championships
RAFT Golf Course - Augusta, Kan. - Oct. 30, 2010
Men Women
Place Name Place Name
8 Brett Egan 26 Hayley Thomas
9 Thibault Vandenabeele 29 Holly Tjaden
22 Ryan Krogmann 42 Carly Olsen
23 Alex Mark 47 Scotti Schon
25 Aaron Vosberg 50 Leah Blanchard
47 Brady Fritz 59 Danielle Nowasell
51 Mike Cooper 60 Lindsey Wilkins
66 David Nielsen
Team Finish: 4th, 87 points Team Finish: 8th, 190 points
Egan's The Leader
Junior Brett Egan has been the top finisher for the UNI men's cross country squad in each of the four meets in which he has competed this season. In 2010, Egan was the Panthers' No. 1 or No. 2 finisher in every meet, including an eighth-place, All-MVC showing at the Valley Championships.
Academic Prowess
The UNI women's cross country team was recognized in May by the NCAA for its latest multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) score. The Panthers posted a multi-year APR score in the top 10 percent of all squads in women's cross country.
In addition, Brett Egan was named the inaugural recipient of the Missouri Valley Conference Elite 18 Award as the top scholar-athlete in men's cross country. The 2010 All-MVC Performer was also named to the league's Scholar-Athlete Team.
