STRONG FINISHES FOR EIU AT COUNTRY FINANCIAL INVITE

NORMAL, Ill. – Eastern Illinois cross country continued its strong early season performances with both individual and team accomplishments.  On Friday night the EIU men placed second in a good field at the Illinois State Country Financial Invite with three runners finishing in the top ten.  For the women juniorMaria Baldwin placed fourth as the Panthers finished fourth as a team.
 
Paxson Menard, Riley McInerney and Tyler Yunk all placed in the top ten for the Panthers at the ISU Meet as EIU had a total of four runners that posted a sub-26 minute time on the 8K course.  Menard placed fifth with a time of 25:26.40.  He just edged teammate McInerney who was sixth with a time of 25:26.91.   Yunk was ninth with a time of 25:39.04.   Chris Orlow was the fourth EIU runner with a sub-26 minute time as he came in just under that mark in 20th place with a time of 25:59.61.  Juan Barajas placed 36th for the Panther men with a time of 26:19.91 as the fifth scored runner.
 
As a team EIU placed second with 72 points.  Iowa won the meet with 44 points.  Robby Prescott, Marcus Skinner and Greg Rogers rounded out EIU's sixth through eighth place finishers.  Prescott was 49th with a time of 26:37.78.  Skinner was 57th with a time of 26:44.72 and Rogers was 59th with a time of 26:48.99.
 
On the women's side Baldwin continued her strong early season finishes.  Last week she won her second straight EIU Walt Crawford Open title earning OVC Female Runner of the Week honors.  On Friday night she was one of four runners to finish the 5K course with a sub-18 minute time.  Baldwin placed fourth with a mark of 17:56.79.
 
The EIU women placed fourth in the meet with 104 points.  Northern Illinois won the meet followed by Iowa and Illinois.
 
Ivy Handley and Rachel Garippo both finished in the top 15.  Handley was 13th with a time of 18:21.58.  Garippo was 14th with a time of 18:21.80.  Ruth Garippo was 35th with a time of 18:49.62 and Julie Jameswas the fifth scored EIU runner finishing 39th with a time of 18:58.68.   Jocelyne Mendoza, Sadie Elliottand Lea Viano rounded out EIU runners six through eight.  Mendoza was 45th with a time of 19:09.74.  Elliott was 55th with a time of 19:24.87.  Viano was 63rd with a time of 19:32.74. 
 
EIU returns to action in three weeks on Friday, Sept. 30 at the Notre Dame Invitational.