Men's Results
INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Southern Indiana men’s cross country team captured its league-record ninth consecutive Great Lakes Valley Conference Men’s Cross Country Championship on Saturday at Forest Park Central Fields in St. Louis, Mo. The Screaming Eagles scored 24 points in the victory and posted all seven runners among the conference’s top-15 finishers. Lewis University finished second with 88 points, followed by Bellarmine University (100) in third.
This marks the first occasion that any school in any sport in the 35-year history of the GLVC has won nine-straight conference titles.
The Screaming Eagles’ 22 points is the lowest-winning score at the conference meet since Lewis scored 16 points at the 1996 event. The 64-point margin of victory fell just one point shy of matching the conference record, which was set by Southern Indiana in 1985 when USI defeated Ashland 27-92 for the league title.
The University of Indianapolis placed fourth overall with 132 points, followed by Drury University (149), Missouri S&T (150), University of Wisconsin-Parkside (174), Saint Joseph’s College (216), host Maryville University (219), and McKendree University (249) in the top 10. Truman State University (256), William Jewell College (380) and Quincy University (410) rounded out the 13-team field.
Southern Indiana also earned ownership of the GLVC record for most individual titles, as sophomore Johnnie Guy broke the tape in 23 minutes, 46 seconds. Guy, who was named GLVC Runner of the Year following the race, gave USI its 12th GLVC individual title, which tops Lewis’ 11 for the overall lead. USI junior Tyler Pence finished in 24:05, followed by Lewis senior Andrew McLain (24:12), McKendree senior Blake DeLong (24:31), and UIndy junior Alex Cushman (24:37) in the top five.
Places six through 15 were also named All-Conference honorees, including Southern Indiana’s Josh Guy (24:43, 6th), Trent Nolan (24:58, 7th), Noah Lutz (25:01, 8th), Hunter Motz (25:13, 14th) and Cody Stone (25:15, 15th), UW-Parkside’s Cody Kurscheidt (25:01, 9th), Bellarmine’s Robert Sandlin (25:07, 10th), Drury’s Will Shadwick (25:07, 11th), Missouri S&T’s Brad Chronister (25:09, 12th), and Lewis’ Sean Smith (25:09, 13th).
At the conclusion of the GLVC Championship, Southern Indiana’s Lutz was named GLVC Freshman of the Year as he was the highest-placing freshman in the race. USI mentor Mike Hillyard was voted by his peers as GLVC Coach of the Year, which marked his ninth-straight honor and 12 overall.