Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Schirmer named MVC Athlete of the Week
10/07/2008 | 12:00:00 | Cross Country
Oct. 7, 2008
St. Louis, Mo. - With seven Valley schools in action last weekend, runners continue to have success as one school record, four team titles and eight runners placed in the top-five of their respective races over the weekend. Drake competed in two events, with the men taking home top honors in both events. The Bulldogs took the title at the Viking Invitational in Des Moines, Iowa, and tied for the team championship at the Pepperdine Invitational in Malibu, Calif. The Evansville men defended its title at the Tennessee Tech Invitational in Cookeville, Tenn., while the Southern Illinois men took home top team honors at the Louisville Classic.
Missouri State sophomore Pasca Cheruiyot set a new school record at the Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater, Okla., clocking a 6k time of 20:34, beating the previous school record of 20:46.77 by 13 seconds.
Five women's teams dot this week's USTFCCCA Regional Rankings, all in the Midwest Region. Preseason favorite Missouri State (8) leads the pack that includes Wichita State (10), Southern Illinois (13), Northern Iowa (14) and Illinois State (15).
Five men's squads - Southern Illinois, Illinois State, Indiana State, Drake and Wichita State - also dot the regional rankings. Indiana State is the MVC representative in the Great Lakes Region, moving up four spots to No. 10, while Southern Illinois (6), Illinois State (9), Drake (10) and Wichita State (15) make up the Valley contingent in the Midwest Region. Drake and Wichita State enter the poll for the first time this season, while Southern Illinois is also "Receiving Votes" in this week's USTFCCCA National Rankings.
This week, just three MVC teams are in action, including taking part in the Lamb-Kohawk Invitational in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as Drake and Northern Iowa will represent the Valley at the meet.
Creighton will make the trip to San Francisco, Calif., to participate in the Gator Invitational in Golden Gate Bridge Park.
This week's State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Athletes of the Week are Jeff Schirmer of Southern Illinois and Pasca Cheruiyot of Missouri State.
Jeff Schirmer, Southern Illinois, Jr., (Troy, Ill./Triad) Junior Jeff Schirmer led a pack of teammates at the Louisville Classic, placing third in the 8k race with a time of 23:49:95, his best of the season. Schirmer was the first Saluki to cross the finish line, leading Southern Illinois to the team title over 33 other competing schools. This week's accolade marks Schirmer's fourth Athlete of the Week honor this season.
Pasca Cheruiyot, Missouri State, So., (Eldoret, Kenya (Rend Lake JC) Sophomore Pasca Cheruiyot set a new Missouri State school record, clocking a 6k time of 20:34 at the Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater, Okla. The previous school record was 20:46.77, set by Casey Owens in 2004. Cheruiyot's time also beat the course record by 29 seconds, but she finished in third place behind Kansas State's Beverly Ramos (20:30) and Wayland Baptist's Caroline Karunde (20:33). Cheruiyot led the race until she was overtaken in the final 100 meters. This week's honor marks Cheruiyot's second Athlete of the Week award this season.
