Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
MVC Championships
Saluki Cross Country prepares for MVC Championship meet
10/30/2015 | 12:00:00 | Cross Country
By Rico Cruz
SIUSalukis.com
MVC Championship Central
CARBONDALE, Ill. - After months of training and competitions, the Saluki cross country teams will head to Evansville, Ind., for the Missouri Valley Conference Championships on Saturday. The men's 8K race will open the meet at 10:30 a.m., followed by the women's 5K race at 11:30 a.m. The men's team was picked to finish sixth at the championships, while the women were picked eighth by the conference coaches.
Oscar Medina will take charge of the men's team in his final MVC Championships. Since making his season debut at the Rim Rock Classic in Lawrence, Kan., Medina has been one of the best runners in the conference. In his first meet of the season, Medina earned a third place finish in Kansas with an 8K time of 24.16.1, which ranks as the fifth-fastest time in the MVC. The Chicago, Ill., native followed that performance with an 11th place finish at the Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
"I think that Oscar is going to compete in the top-five and will have a chance to finish in the top group," SIU cross country coach David Beauchem said. "He really has a chance to run the best race that he has as a Saluki, we just have to wait and see how it shakes out. He is ready for the big race this weekend."
Krista Menghini is another senior competing in her final MVC Championships, as she will be at the front for the women's team. Menghini has been SIU's top female runner all season, crossing the finish line as the first Saluki in every race. Her best 5K performance of the season also came at the Crimson Classic, finishing the race in 18:10.15.
"She is going to be pretty aggressive on Saturday," Beauchem said. "We will try and get her to be aggressive and get her to the front. We will just have to see how it goes for Krista."
Southern will look to replicate their performance from last season, which saw the men's team finish second and the women's team earning third.
Players Mentioned
