Men's Cross Country 7/18/2013 8:39:00 AM

A Closer Look: GLVC Men's Cross Country & Track & Field

This series, running from June 27 – August 22, 2013, highlights Truman State University's transition from the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association to the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Please refer to the schedule below for each installment throughout the summer series.

Previous:
June 28 – Rich History of Bulldog Athletics in MIAA
July 1 - A New Era Begins: Bulldogs Join GLVC
July 5 – GLVC Football Begins Second Year
July 8 – Volleyball Sets High Goals for 2013 Campaign
July 11 – A Closer Look: GLVC Cross Country/Track & Field
July 15 – Women's Soccer Preps For First GLVC Campaign

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Head Coach Tim Schwegler and his Truman men's Cross Country/Track & Field team will have to knock off a pair of heavyweight schools if they wish to contend for championships in the GLVC next year.

Cross Country
Men's Cross Country has been dominated by the Screaming Eagles of the University of Southern Indiana. USI has won 20 team GLVC titles in 34 years and the last eight straight. The 20 titles are the most conference trophies won by any school in any sport in the GLVC.

They had the top two finishers in the conference 8K race last year in Springfield, Mo. with senior Michael Jordan claiming the individual title with a time of 24:39.1. Sophomore Tyler Pence was 10 seconds back while three juniors, two from Lewis and one from McKendree rounded out the top five.

Pence was the league's "Freshman of the Year" in 2011 and teammate Tyler Schickel took home the honor last year. USI has had four of the last five "Freshmen of the Year" honorees and head coach Mike Hillyard has won the GLVC Coach of the Year award eight straight years.

The Screaming Eagles placed 17th as a team at the Division II Championships. The University of Wisconsin-Parkside's Evan Lewandowski was the league's top finisher at the national meet with a 34th place finish.

The Bulldogs return their top two cross country runners from last year in junior Brad Hart and senior Andrew Sheets. Hart was 34th in the MIAA Championships with a time of 26:42.19 while Sheets came in 47th clocking 27:12.35.

The first conference championship decided during the 2013-14 school year will be in the sport of Cross Country on October 26 hosted by Maryville University in St. Louis.

Track & Field
The University of Indianapolis has won 10 GLVC Track & Field Championships to lead all schools. The Greyhounds have won the last four indoor and outdoor championships.

The Greyhounds won going away at the 2013 Indoor Championship in their home venue. Indianapolis scored 200 points while second place Missouri S&T tallied 98 points. They also had the Track Athlete of the Year in senior Robert Gardner and Field Athlete of the Year in senior Ryan Smith. Gardner took home titles in the 200 and 400 while also leading the team to the victory in the 4x400 meter relay and Smith won the weight throw and shot put.

Indianapolis finished sixth at the NCAA Indoor Championships scoring 30 points. Smith earned two All-America honors in the Shot Put and Weight Throw with Gardner earning the honor in the 400. Senior Jerel Flournoy garnered All-America honors in the long jump as well as the 4x400 meter relay team. Other GLVC All-Americans were Bellarmine's Distance Medley Relay squad and Southern Indiana's Jordan in both the three and five kilometer runs.

The 2014 GLVC Indoor Track & Field championships will take place on Feb. 22-23 at the Athletics and Recreation Center on the campus of the University of Indianapolis.

Missouri S&T has been the Greyhounds top threat at the GLVC Outdoor Championships the last few years. The Miners won the 2009 team title and have finished second to the Greyhounds in three of the last four years.
In Romeoville, Ill. this past May, the Greyhounds scored 165.5 points to win their fourth straight title as Missouri S&T (121), Southern Indiana (107), McKendree (105) and Lewis (95) finished in the top five. Indy's Gardner was the outdoor "Track Athlete of the Year" and the "Field Athlete of the Year" was shared by the Greyhound's freshman Joshuah Bass and Bellarmine's junior Ben Kolb. Southern Indiana's Johnnie Guy was the "Freshman of the Year".

Guy earned two All-America awards at the Outdoor NCAA Division II Championship by placing in the top eight in the five and 10 kilometer runs. USI's Jordan earned All-America accolades in the Steeplechase while Indy's 4x100 Relay team also were All-Americans.

Senior-to-be Matt Schaefer scored points for the Bulldogs in both the MIAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Schaefer was fourth in the 800 during the indoor season and was joined on the 4x400 relay team by sophomores Zach Thomas and Dominic Kacich.

The 2014 GLVC Outdoor Meet will again be contested at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill. on May 2-3.

Upcoming:
July 22 – GLVC Men's Soccer Preview
July 25 – GLVC Men's & Women's Swimming Preview
July 29 – GLVC Women's Basketball Preview
August 1 – GLVC Men's Basketball Preview
August 5 – GLVC Men's & Women's Tennis Preview
August 8 – GLVC Women's Golf Preview
August 12 – GLVC Baseball Preview
August 15 – GLVC Softball Preview
August 19 – GLVC Award Season Preview

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