Cross Country 2nd At OVC Championships
Saturday, October 31 2015 - OVC ChampionshipsFour Panthers earn All-OVC honors as both men and women place 2nd
MURRAY, Ky. - Eastern Illinois men's and women's cross country both placed second at the Ohio Valley Conference Cross Country Championships contested Saturday morning at Miller Memorial Golf Course in Murray, Ky.
Riley McInerney and Maria Baldwin earned first team All-OVC honors for the men and women. Paxson Menard and Ivy Handley earned second team All-OVC honors.
"Both teams showed so much heart and executed our race plans nearly flawlessly," said EIU head coach Erin Howarth. "It was the toughest course we have raced all season but we weren't scared, we embraced it. Maria, Ivy, Riley and Paxson ran phenomenal races to earn themselves all conference."
The EIU women placed second behind Eastern Kentucky. EKU won the championship with 27 points as the Colonels had runners finish in third, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth position. EIU had 97 points followed by Southeast Missouri in third with 104. Murray State was fourth with 106 points.
Baldwin was able to break up the EKU front pack as she placed sixth to earn first team All-OVC honors. Baldwin ran a 5K time of 17:46.0. Ann Asipan of UT Martin won the event with a time of 17:03.8. Hannah Wittman of Belmont was second.
Ivy Handley placed 13th to earn second team All-OVC honors. Handley had a time of 18:10.5. Jocelyne Mendoza, Amy Yeoman and Ruth Garippo closed out the five scored EIU runners in the meet. Mendoza was 19th with a time of 18:23.2. Yeoman was 25th with a time of 18:35.3. Garippo was 31st with a time of 18:44.9
"On the women's side Jocelyne Mendoza ran an awesome race for her first OVC Championship and stepped up her game," added Howarth. Ruth Garippo came through for us today as our fifth and stepped up ahead of SEMO's fifth runner to help us place second as a team."
Rachel Garippo, Emily Brelsfoard and Quincy Knolhoff rounded out the runners in the meet. Garippo was 32nd with a time of 18:46.3. Brelsfoard was 39th with a time of 18:56.6. Knolhoff was 47th with a time of 19:12.7.
On the men's side Eastern Kentucky won the meet with 21 points. Eastern Illinois was second with 67 points followed by SIU Edwardsville in third with 89 points and Belmont was fourth with 107.
Erick Rotich of EKU won the 8K race with a time of 24:31.4 as the Colonels had the first three finishers in the race. McInerney broke up the top finishers in fourth place with a time of 24:51.7 to earn first team All-OVC honors.
Menard was ninth with a time of 25:13.2 to earn second team All-OVC honors as EIU had all five runners place in the top 21 in the field. Tyler Yunk just missed All-OVC honors placing 15th with a time of 25:39.9. Joe Calio was 20th with a time of 25:56.4. Juan Barajas was 21st with a time of 25:58.3.
"Yunk had a breakout race today and always believed he could be our third man and he raced with a lot of guts today," said Howarth. "All in all it was a phenomenal day where everyone is proud and happy to be a Panther. I couldn't be happier for these teams."
Michael Brown, Derrick Johnson and Greg Rogers were the final three runners in the championship for EIU. Brown was 30th with a time of 26:22.1. Johnson was 49th with a time of 27:05.4. Rogers was 53rd a time of 27:14.4.
EIU returns to action on Friday, Nov. 13 at the NCAA Midwest Regional hosted by Kansas.
Riley McInerney and Maria Baldwin earned first team All-OVC honors for the men and women. Paxson Menard and Ivy Handley earned second team All-OVC honors.
"Both teams showed so much heart and executed our race plans nearly flawlessly," said EIU head coach Erin Howarth. "It was the toughest course we have raced all season but we weren't scared, we embraced it. Maria, Ivy, Riley and Paxson ran phenomenal races to earn themselves all conference."
The EIU women placed second behind Eastern Kentucky. EKU won the championship with 27 points as the Colonels had runners finish in third, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth position. EIU had 97 points followed by Southeast Missouri in third with 104. Murray State was fourth with 106 points.
Baldwin was able to break up the EKU front pack as she placed sixth to earn first team All-OVC honors. Baldwin ran a 5K time of 17:46.0. Ann Asipan of UT Martin won the event with a time of 17:03.8. Hannah Wittman of Belmont was second.
Ivy Handley placed 13th to earn second team All-OVC honors. Handley had a time of 18:10.5. Jocelyne Mendoza, Amy Yeoman and Ruth Garippo closed out the five scored EIU runners in the meet. Mendoza was 19th with a time of 18:23.2. Yeoman was 25th with a time of 18:35.3. Garippo was 31st with a time of 18:44.9
"On the women's side Jocelyne Mendoza ran an awesome race for her first OVC Championship and stepped up her game," added Howarth. Ruth Garippo came through for us today as our fifth and stepped up ahead of SEMO's fifth runner to help us place second as a team."
Rachel Garippo, Emily Brelsfoard and Quincy Knolhoff rounded out the runners in the meet. Garippo was 32nd with a time of 18:46.3. Brelsfoard was 39th with a time of 18:56.6. Knolhoff was 47th with a time of 19:12.7.
On the men's side Eastern Kentucky won the meet with 21 points. Eastern Illinois was second with 67 points followed by SIU Edwardsville in third with 89 points and Belmont was fourth with 107.
Erick Rotich of EKU won the 8K race with a time of 24:31.4 as the Colonels had the first three finishers in the race. McInerney broke up the top finishers in fourth place with a time of 24:51.7 to earn first team All-OVC honors.
Menard was ninth with a time of 25:13.2 to earn second team All-OVC honors as EIU had all five runners place in the top 21 in the field. Tyler Yunk just missed All-OVC honors placing 15th with a time of 25:39.9. Joe Calio was 20th with a time of 25:56.4. Juan Barajas was 21st with a time of 25:58.3.
"Yunk had a breakout race today and always believed he could be our third man and he raced with a lot of guts today," said Howarth. "All in all it was a phenomenal day where everyone is proud and happy to be a Panther. I couldn't be happier for these teams."
Michael Brown, Derrick Johnson and Greg Rogers were the final three runners in the championship for EIU. Brown was 30th with a time of 26:22.1. Johnson was 49th with a time of 27:05.4. Rogers was 53rd a time of 27:14.4.
EIU returns to action on Friday, Nov. 13 at the NCAA Midwest Regional hosted by Kansas.