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INTERVIEWS: USI | Drury's Claire McCune
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – The University of Southern Indiana women’s cross country team clinched its seventh straight Great Lakes Valley Conference Women’s Cross Country Championship in record fashion Saturday at the Kirksville Country Club in Kirksville, Missouri.
One year after scoring the largest margin of victory (55 points) over Bellarmine University, the Screaming Eagles equaled the narrowest margin of victory this year with a two-point victory over the Knights, 36-38. In 2010, it was Bellarmine that scored a two-point win over USI, 52-54, at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
With the victory, USI extended its GLVC record with 12 team championships, including the last seven.
Missouri S&T placed third in the race with 85 points, followed by host Truman State University (119) and Lewis University (160) in fourth and fifth, respectively. Drury University (173), University of Indianapolis (195), Rockhurst University (217), Maryville University (226) and McKendree University (267) placed sixth through 10th. Rounding out the field was the University of Illinois Springfield (307) in 11th, Quincy University (345) in 12th, and William Jewell College (348) in 13th. Representatives from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside competed individually, however no team score was issued due to Conference sanctions.
Individually, Drury freshman Claire McCune crossed the line first with a 6,000-meter time and personal best of 21 minutes, 55.42 seconds. In doing so, McCune was named GLVC Runner of the Year and Freshman of the Year – both firsts for a Drury runner – while also becoming just the second newcomer to ever win both honors along with the GLVC title. Former Lewis standout and GLVC Hall of Famer Kasia Arient was the first to do so in 1996.
Bellarmine senior Erin Crone finished second overall in 22:01.80, followed in the top five by USI juniors Melina Gryschka (22:07.07) and Hope Jones (22:15.28), and Missouri S&T senior Megan Schulte (22:26.93). USI freshman Jennifer Comastri (22:31.34) and junior Allison Rollins (22:42.05) were sixth and ninth, respectively, while Bellarmine junior Karly Gawarecki (22:35.29) and senior Caitlin Carroll (22:36.37) were seventh and eighth, followed by senior teammates Sarah Schuster (22:45.52) and Kyndel Guyton (22:46.41) in 10th and 11th. Rounding out the top-15 finishers who garnered All-Conference honors were Truman State senior Michaela Hylen (22:53.39) and freshman Kelly Doerr (22:53.84) in 12th and 13th, followed by Southern Indiana senior Bryce Cutler (23:00.31) and Missouri S&T freshman Hannah Shearer (23:05.10).
At the conclusion of the GLVC Championship, Bellarmine head coach Angela Musk – the 2012 GLVC Champion and Runner of the Year – earned her first GLVC Coach of the Year award in just her second season with the Knights. Musk joins Kris Horton (2010) as the only Bellarmine coaches to have ever earn GLVC Coach of the Year. Bellarmine also earned its third GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award in women’s cross country, having previously been honored in 2009 and 2010. In addition, 14 student-athletes were recognized as GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honorees and are now candidates for their respective school’s male and female Spalding Sportsmanship Award at the end of the academic year.
Coverage of the 2017 GLVC Cross Country Championships will be shown on the GLVC Sports Network on Thursday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on GLVCSN.com, GLVCSN iOS and Android mobile apps, as well as GLVCSN OTT platforms on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV.
POSTSEASON AWARDS
GLVC CHAMPION: Claire McCune, Fr., DU
GLVC RUNNER OF THE YEAR: Claire McCune, Fr., DU
GLVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Claire McCune, Fr., DU
GLVC COACH OF THE YEAR: Angela Musk, BU
James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award Team Winner: Bellarmine
James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award Honorees:
- Bellarmine: Erin Crone
- Drury: Johnna McGlaughlin
- Illinois Springfield: Krissy Finley
- Indianapolis: Sarah Burch
- Lewis: Zoe Mead
- Maryville: Megan Seibel
- McKendree: Kayla Wilson
- Missouri S&T: Katelyn Fricke
- Quincy: Megan McClure
- Rockhurst: Natalie Kurtenbach
- Southern Indiana: Jessica Lincoln
- Truman State: Kim Kaster
- UW-Parkside: Monica Geiser
- William Jewell: Alexis Mijares