Summit League Cross Country Championship Page
Brookings, S.D. — The men’s and women’s cross country will head to Rochester, Mich. to compete in the Summit League Championships this Saturday, Oct. 27.
About the course: Oakland University is the host for the 2012 Summit League Championships, which is located in Rochester, Mich. The race will take place at the Oakland University Colfe and Learning Center. The women will be running a 6k, which will begin about 10 a.m., and the men will run an 8k at 11 a.m. The Oakland course was the host for the Great Lakes Regional two years ago.
The 2011 race: Last
year the men finished third with a ninth place performance from Trent Lusignan.
The women finished fourth, with Erin Hargens taking 17th. Southern
Utah won the men’s race and North Dakota State won on the womens side. Lusignan was named newcomer of the year for his ninth place finish.
Old rivals: Michael Krsnak and Kansas City’s Cosmas Ayabei will be meeting again this weekend in a rematch of the 2010 Championship meet. In 2010 Ayabei won the race with a time of 24:31.00, Krsnak finished third with a time of 24:48.6.
Keys to victory: Coach Rod DeHaven talked about the upcoming race for the men, he said, “the top three have to hold form, and we need Drew Kraft to be steady.” “We can’t have places in the 30’s or the 40’s, you won’t be able to win with 60 points.”
On the women’s side, he noted, “Our top five has been very
consistent, and its very helpful to stay in contention.” “Courtney Neubert has had a very good year,
and Cheyanne Bowers has a had an outstanding first year."
Intensity level: The past five meets have been preparing the Jackrabbits for this race. Coach DeHaven said, “The intensity level of this race will compare to the Griak.”
Closing thoughts: Coach DeHaven said, "If everyone takes care of business, this can be done."
Next on the docket: After the Summit League Championships the Jackrabbits will be back in action on Nov. 2, at the Fall Finale in Collegeville, Minn.
