Southern Illinois University
MVC Championships
SIU men finish second, women third at MVC Championships
11/01/2014 | 12:00:00 | Cross Country
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill.- Great race day weather saw the Southern Illinois men's cross country team take home second place and the women's team finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championships on Saturday. Indiana State won the men's 8K, while Bradley won the women's 5K race.
In the men's 8K, SIU and ISU finished tied with 73 points each, but the tiebreaker went in favor of the Sycamores. As they have done all year, Michael Castel, Oscar Medina, and Juan Carrera pushed the pace for the Salukis, finishing sixth, seventh, and eighth respectively. The trio also earned First Team All-Conference honors. Medina picked up his third straight All-Conference First Team honor, while Carrera earned his second in three years.
Head coach David Beauchem was proud of the way his top three runners paced the Salukis once again.
"That is what we have been trying to setup up front.," said Beauchem. "At Notre Dame they really got into that rhythm and the three of them worked together as teammates. They were really the three guys in the top ten that could as together as teammates. They did a great job."
Castel had an impressive MVC Championship debut and was happy with the way he and his teammates performed.
"It went pretty well my first year here," said Castel. "Being on the home course gave us an advantage and especially working together helped out a lot.
The women's race saw Krista Menghini take charge for the Salukis, earning a 10th place finish to guide SIU to a third place finish and a spot on the First Team All-Conference squad. Kelley Gallagher and Kristen Levi finished 12th and 15th respectively to earn honorable mention status.
SIU will now set their sights on the NCAA Midwest Regional meet on Nov. 14. The meet will take place in Peoria, Ill.
2014 Women's Coach of the Year: Willy Wood, Bradley
2014 Men's Coach of the Year: John McNichols, Indiana State
Men's Elite 18 Award Winner: Brogan Austin, Drake
Women's Elite 18 Award Winner: Sidney Hirsch, Wichita State
Men's Freshman of the Year: Michael Ward, Bradley
Women's Freshman of the Year: Taylor Austin, Indiana State
Men's All-Conference First Team1. John Mascari, Indiana State (Athlete of the Year)
2. Sam Penzenstadler, Loyola
3. Ryan Rutherford, Illinois State
4. Brogan Austin, Drake
5. Eric Delvo, Bradley
6. Michael Castel, Southern Illinois
7. Oscar Medina, Southern Illinois
8. Juan Carrera, Southern Illinois
9. Zach Buchheit, UNI
10. Taylor Head, Indiana State
Men's All-Conference Honorable Mention
11. Chase Coffey, Bradley
12. Dave Eckhart, Illinois State
13. Tyler Morse, Illinois State
14. Robert McCann, Drake
15. Paul Raymond, Wichita State
Men's Results
1. Indiana State, 73*
2. Southern Illinois, 73
3. Bradley, 82
4. Illinois State, 110
5. Wichita State, 116
6. Drake, 117
7. Loyola 118
8. Northern Iowa, 168
9. Evansville, 291
(Indiana State via tiebreaker)
Women's All-Conference First Team
1. Caitlin Busch, Bradley
2. Alex Wilson, UNI
3. Kelly McShea, Illinois State
4. Emily Delvo, Bradley
5. Kristen Busch, Bradley
6. Sidney Hirsch, Wichita State
7. Ebeissa Nyandwi, Wichita State
8. Kimbery Christensen, Illinois State
9. Ariel Michalek, Illinois State
10. Krista Menghini, Southern Illinois
Women's All-Conference Honorable Mention
11. Rosie Hiles, Bradley
12. Kelley Gallagher, Southern Illinois
13. Krista Maguire, Drake
14. Nicole Lucas, Indiana State
15. Kristen Levi, Southern Illinois
Women's Results
1. Bradley - 39
2. Illinois State - 71
3. Southern Illinois - 78
4. Wichita State - 94
5. Northern Iowa - 127
6. Loyola - 149
7. Indiana State - 161
8. Drake - 163
9. Evansville - 288
10. Missouri State - 308
Players Mentioned
