SBU XC ranked 12th in nation
Jesse Kueker
Issue date: 11/18/09 Section: Sports
|
Following their near-dominant performance at the South Central Regional meet where the men grabbed second place, the team was propelled seven spots in the national rankings. Now the team is the 12th best nationwide heading in to the meet, which will determine their national ranking.
Adams State is ranked first in the nation, and conference rival Missouri Southern is picked to finish ninth. Fellow MIAA competitor Pittsburg State's ranking dropped to 18th place after a sub-par performance compared to the Lions and the Bearcats in the regional meet.
SBU will make its first ever national trip as a team. Led by senior Michael Pierce, and will shoot for a top-8 finish with the help from seniors Jeremy Glassmaker, Michael McCampbell, Cameron Ayers, Shawn Etzenhouser, sophomore Will Hansen, and freshmen Phillip Miller and Lance Knight.
"I think our team can finish in the top eight," said head coach Corey McElhaney. "If everyone runs the way they are supposed to we could be there."
A top-8 finish is critical on two fronts. Most importantly, a top-8 finish will give SBU heightened success which ultimately drives recruitment for the school's program.
Secondly, a top-8 finish from a team earns an additional qualifying spot for their regional the following year. The top two teams from each regional head on to Nationals, but since Abilene Christian finished in the top-eight last year, the regional they were affiliated with earned an additional spot; consequently, the top-three teams this year qualified for nationals.
If SBU, MSSU, and Pitt State were all to finish in the top-8 then five schools would qualify for the national meet in the South Central Regional. In other words, the more top-8 finishers within your region, the easier it is the following year to make the national trip again.
This qualifying standard is implemented to create additional opportunities for teams who are placed in tougher regionals than other schools.
Pierce will look to add another All-American honor to his five-time All-American status with a top-30 (US Citizens) finish in this year's national meet. Pierce finished 27th in the national cross country meet his junior year.
Glassmaker is looking for his second All-American award and his first one in the sport of cross country.
The men's race begins at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21 on the University of Southern Indiana's cross country course.
Be the first to comment on this story