Results
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Southern Indiana extended its league record with its 14th consecutive Great Lakes Valley Conference Men’s Cross Country Championship on Saturday at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Screaming Eagles totaled 38 points on the day, placing all five scorers in the top 15 for All-Conference recognition.
The victory gave USI its league-best 26th GLVC crown, while the current streak of 14 straight titles is the longest for any team in any sport in Conference history.
Lewis University finished second for the third consecutive season, earning 77 points with two scorers garnering All-GLVC recognition. University of Illinois Springfield (85 points) continued its surge through the team standings, finishing third overall after placing 13th, 10th and eighth the last three years. University of Indianapolis (92) and host Bellarmine University (116) rounded out the top five, while Missouri S&T (164), Drury University (171), Truman State University (228), Maryville University (250) and McKendree University (278) finished sixth through 10th, respectively. William Jewell College (367) and Quincy University (373) placed 11th and 12th.
For the 16th time in GLVC history, an individual has claimed back-to-back league titles as Southern Indiana junior Austin Nolan crossed the line first in 24 minutes, 6.23 seconds. The first to accomplish that feat was James Nolan, Austin’s Father, who went unbeaten in GLVC Championship competition from 1980-83 and remains the only four-time GLVC Champion in league history. His son is now the first repeat winner since fellow Screaming Eagle Johnnie Guy posted three straight wins from 2013-15.
USI freshman Titus Winders crossed the line second in 24:33.22, giving the Screaming Eagles their sixth 1-2 finish since 2011. With his runner-up finish, Winders was named GLVC Freshman of the Year, becoming the ninth Screaming Eagle to earn the award in program history and the first since Nathan Hall in 2016.
Bellarmine junior Evan Lang (25:00.98), UIndy freshman Chris Switzer (25:18.61) and Illinois Springfield sophomore Tyler Pasley (25:24.04) finished third through fifth, respectively, while Lewis sophomore Dan Laskero (25:25.19), Bellarmine sophomore Logan Greco (25:28.73), USI junior Nathan Hall (25:33.91), UIndy senior Taylor Kleyn (25:34.80) and Lewis sophomore Ross McCormick (25:36.54) rounded out the top 10. Missouri S&T junior Duncan Clark (25:37.95), Illinois Springfield freshman Blake Jones (25:38.10) and the USI trio of sophomore Grady Wilkinson (25:38.50), junior Javan Winders (25:40.35) and sophomore Matt Everling (25:44.08) secured All-GLVC honors with top-15 finishes.
At the conclusion of the GLVC Championship, Southern Indiana mentor Mike Hillyard was voted by his peers as GLVC Coach of the Year, marking his 14th-straight honor and 16th overall. Nolan was named GLVC Runner of the Year – the 12th honor for a Screaming Eagle – while Winders picked up top freshman accolades. Illinois Springfield earned its first-ever GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award in men’s cross country. In addition, 12 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 2018 GLVC Cross Country Championships is scheduled to be shown on the GLVC Sports Network on Sunday, Nov. 11, 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.
2018 GLVC POSTSEASON AWARDS
GLVC Champion/Runner of the Year
Austin Nolan, Southern Indiana
Freshman of the Year
Titus Winders, Southern Indiana
Coach of the Year
Mike Hillyard, Southern Indiana
James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award
Illinois Springfield
James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award Honorees
Joseph Ray, Bellarmine
Brendan Bena, Drury
Alex Phelps, Illinois Springfield
Taylor Kleyn, Indianapolis
Ross McCormick, Lewis
RJ Brown, Maryville
Trevor White, McKendree
Garrett Blanchard, Missouri S&T
Will Kipping, Quincy
Nolan Snyder, Southern Indiana
Michael Grasing, Truman State
Denver Strong, William Jewell