All-Ohio Intercollegiate Championships Web Page
DAYTON, Ohio – The University of Dayton men’s and women’s cross country teams will compete at the 2010 All-Ohio Intercollegiate Championships at Cedarville, Ohio this Friday, Oct. 1 at the Elvin R. King Cross Country Course, located on the campus of Cedarville University.
The 56th Annual Men’s Championship 8K race will feature 40 teams from all divisions in Ohio and will start at 2 p.m. The 30th Annual Women’s Championship 5K, which has 42 teams in the field, starts at 2:45 p.m. There will also be an 8K men’s open at 3:30 p.m., followed by a 5K women’s open at 4:15 p.m. The awards ceremony will conclude the event at 5 p.m.
The Flyer men have finished no worse than second in all three meets they have run this season; winning the Mel Brodt Invitational, taking runner-up honors at the Flyer 5K Challenge and tying for second with Marquette at the National Catholic Invitational, the last race they ran which was Sept. 17.
With two weeks between races the Flyers have been gearing up for the All-Ohio Championships which are hosted by Cedarville University this year.
“We’ve been focusing on two things during the break; running together and running fast as a pack,” said Head Coach Rich Davis. “Our strategy for the All-Ohio is to have two runners with real low numbers with a pack of at least three close behind. The last two weeks, in practice, the guys have proven they can do this. It’s been a confidence builder.”
The All-Ohio Men’s Championship race will feature five teams that are in the USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Great Lakes Region rankings: No. 5 Ohio State (the Buckeyes are also receiving votes in the National Poll), No. 11 Akron, No. 12 Kent State, No. 13 Miami and No. 15 Toledo. Note: Marquette, which UD tied in the National Catholic Invitational, comes in at No. 14 in the Great Lakes Regional Team Rankings.
“We are going to go head-to-head against some of the top teams in our region,” said Davis. “After the race I am confident we will deserve a spot in the next Great Lakes Region rankings that come out.”
The Flyer women's cross country team will face five teams ranked in the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region this weekend including No. 4 Toledo, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 8 Miami, No. 11 Ohio, and No. 13 Cincinnati.
“I don’t know if some of the ranked teams will run their top runners, but I certainly hope they do because we can compete with any of those teams,” Head Coach Sarah Hinkley said. “We are not scared to step on the line against them. The ladies are starting to gain a little more confidence in their ability to run with these teams. It will be a competitive meet this weekend and, looking toward the end of the season, it could be a good measure of where we will be.”
Ranked tenth in Great Lakes Region poll and coming off a bye weekend, Dayton has placed second or better in each meet this season. Two weeks ago in the National Catholic Invitational, hosted by Notre Dame, the Flyers finished second out of 35 teams while senior Maureen Bulgrin placed second individually with a time of 17:38 – one second away from an individual title. Senior Liz Coorey placed third with a 17:48 5K pace.
“Every race from this point on, we are talking about the heart of the season – the important part of the season,” Hinkley said. “We are not tapering to this race but we are going into this weekend extremely fit and excited after a week off. Some of the younger ladies are starting to realize that they can get in there with the pack and mix it up, which is helping the upperclassmen. It’s a really strong team dynamic right now.”
Women’s cross country did not compete in the All-Ohio meet last season, but placed fifth in the 2008 meet in Delaware, Ohio. Although two years have passed the Flyers’ top runners look the same. Bulgrin was Dayton’s top runner as a sophomore after finishing 10th among 288 runners with a time of 18:35. Coorey and Brigitte Sherman were the Flyers’ next finishers at 24th and 31st, respectively.
After each race throughout the season Coach Davis hands out two team recognition awards – Tough as Nails, and Team Glue. The Tough as Nails Award goes to the runner who displayed the best physical and mental toughness during the race. The Team Glue Award goes to the runner who, through the course of week, leading up to the race, makes sacrifices and gives encouragement and moral support.
The UD team award winners for the National Catholic Invite were sophomore Jeremy Schiele for Tough as Nails, and sophomore Kyle Lowry for Team Glue.
“Jeremy ran the last four miles of the race with one shoe,” said Davis. “Kyle, normally the No. 5 runner, stepped up and finished as our fourth.”
National Catholic Invitational - Sept. 17, 2010
Tough As Nails: Sophomore Jeremy Schiele
Team Glue: Sophomore Kyle Lowry
BGSU Mel Brodt Invitational - Sept. 11, 2010
Tough As Nails: Sophomore Derek Bornhorst
Team Glue: Sophomore Nate Addessi
Flyer 5K - Sept. 4, 2010
Tough As Nails: Sophomore Kyle Lowry
Team Glue: Sophomore Nate Addessi
