Cross Country teams finish strong at SLIAC Conference Meet
The men and women's cross country teams competed at the SLIAC Championship meet this Saturday at the Hillsboro Country Club in Hillsboro, Illinois. Both teams had outstanding showings, with each runner recording either personal records or season-bests.
Justin Horneker led the men, covering the 8,000 meter course in a personal best time of 27:32, good for 22nd place overall. Horneker was backed by a strong pack, with seniors Dillon Klaffer and Shea Naes finishing 31st and 32nd respectively, just ahead of freshman Cristian Sellars, who followed in 33rd place. Rounding out scoring for the Griffins was senior Brendan Middleton in 64th. Horneker was named to the 2012 SLIAC All-Sportsmanship team at the conclusion of the races.
"I was happy with our men ran today," said Coach Shaver after the race. "We've been working on our approach to racing--being intelligent and putting ourselves in the position to succeed late in the race--and we've improved at every meet. Today we saw that pay off with best times and good finishes. I'm excited about the future of our team."
The women followed with great showing of their own, finishing 3rd as a team standing behind all-conference performances from senior Alyssa Tonner (5th), junior Kristen Roles (10th), and freshman Adrienne Kaup (12th). Also in the Griffin scoring 5 were juniors Marielle Counts (19th) and Marcela Meyer (29th). Freshman Claire Becker ran strong, finishing just behind Meyer in 33rd while fellow freshman Morgan Baer finished 45th in her cross country debut.
"All seven girls ran smart and ran gutsy. I'm very proud of everyone, each runner was tested and each responded to the challenge. It's great to be part of an environment where everyone is committed to one another and to the goal, and we have that on this team. I'm excited for today and for the future—we return all seven next season."
Both teams look to continue their success at the NCAA Midwest Regional meet in two weeks in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.