ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The University of Southern Indiana extended its league record with its 14th title at the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Women’s Cross Country Championship, held Saturday at the Lewis Cross Country Course in Romeoville, Illinois.
One year removed from a third-place finish at the Conference meet, which was a year after it claimed the 2019 crown, the 13th-ranked Screaming Eagles ran away with the 2021 title by besting the host and 18th-ranked Lewis University Flyers by 36 points.
USI totaled 44 points on the day, followed by Lewis with 80, and defending champion No. 14 Southwest Baptist University was third with 86 points. Drury scored 113 points for fourth place, while University of Indianapolis rounded out the top-five teams in fifth with 132 points.
Lindenwood University (148 points) improved upon its 2020 showing by two positions, finishing sixth, ahead of University of Illinois Springfield (162) in seventh, and Missouri S&T (221) in eighth. Truman State University (245) and Rockhurst University (310) were respectively ninth and 10th, while McKendree University (319) followed in 11th and University of Missouri-St. Louis (356) claimed 12th. Rounding out the 15-team field was Maryville (366) and Quincy University (432), as well as William Jewell College that did not score.
Individually, USI senior Jennifer Comastri crossed the line first in 21 minutes, 11.26 seconds, to become the seventh Screaming Eagle to be crowned a GLVC champion and first since 2016. Additionally, her time marked the eighth-fastest winning time in GLVC history and was an improvement from her fourth-place result a year ago.
SBU junior Elysia Burgos – the 2019 champion – matched her runner-up finish from last year’s event and clocked a time of 21 minutes, 27.02 seconds. Two-time defending GLVC champion and Drury senior Claire McCune (21:43.66) finished third, which was two spots better than her performance last year. Lindenwood’s Najwa Chouati (21:46.49) went from ninth in 2020 to fourth at today’s race, while the new GLVC Freshman of the Year, USI’s Cameron Hough (21:53.75), finished fifth overall.
UIndy senior Claire Eaton (21:56.61), Lindenwood junior Rachael Morrison (21:58.97), and Lewis senior Kassady Learn (22:03.01) finished sixth through eighth, respectively, while ninth and 10th went to Drury freshman Elizabeth Stinson (22:04.79) and UIS junior Taryn Christy (22:07.80). USI sophomore Hadley Fisher (22:08.67) and junior Kara Martin (22:09.16) went 11-12, while 13th through 15th were taken, respectively, by SBU sophomore Tessa Valdivia (22:11.47), Lewis senior Arianna Amill-Ramos (22:14.92), and USI sophomore Mckenna Cavanaugh (22:16.39). Rounding out the top 20 with All-Conference distinction were the following runners: Lewis senior Stephanie Jarvis (22:17.29), Lewis sophomore Anna Kozak (22:18.77), Drury junior Katie McCune (22:45.71), SBU sophomore Alexis Barber (22:47.56), and USI sophomore Lauren Greiwe (23:08.22).
At the conclusion of the GLVC Championship, Comastri was named GLVC Runner of the Year, while her teammate Hough was named the league’s top newcomer. USI head coach Mike Hillyard was honored by his peers as GLVC Coach of the Year, his 13th career women’s accolade.
After the race, Lewis was honored as the GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award team winner, while 15 student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior were also named as their sport’s honoree for the award. These individuals must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. The honorees are now eligible to become one of their school’s two Spalding Sportsmanship Award winners, which will be announced at the end of the academic year.
For the second time in league history, the GLVC Championship was carried live on the GLVC Sports Network (GLVCSN). The broadcast can be found in the “On Demand” section on all GLVCSN platforms, including GLVCSN.com, GLVCSN iOS and Android mobile apps, as well as GLVCSN OTT platforms on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV.
2021 GLVC POSTSEASON AWARDS
GLVC Champion/Runner of the Year: Jennifer Comastri, Southern Indiana
Freshman of the Year: Cameron Hough, Southern Indiana
Coach of the Year: Mike Hillyard, Southern Indiana
All-Conference Honorees (in order of top-20 finish)
Jennifer Comastri, Southern Indiana
Elysia Burgos, Southwest Baptist
Claire McCune, Drury
Najwa Chouati, Lindenwood
Cameron Hough, Southern Indiana
Claire Eaton, UIndy
Rachael Morrison, Lindenwood
Kassady Learn, Lewis
Elizabeth Stinson, Drury
Taryn Christy, Illinois Springfield
Hadley Fisher, Southern Indiana
Kara Martin, Southern Indiana
Tessa Valdivia, Southwest Baptist
Arianna Amill-Ramos, Lewis
Mckenna Cavanaugh, Southern Indiana
Stephanie Jarvis, Lewis
Anna Kozak, Lewis
Katie McCune, Drury
Alexis Barber, Southwest Baptist
Lauren Greiwe, Southern Indiana
2021 GLVC Women’s Cross Country James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Team Award
Lewis
2021 GLVC Women's Cross Country James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award Honorees
Drury: Jayme Vermaas
Illinois Springfield: Alexa Thomsen
Indianapolis: Hannah Stein
Lewis: Naylah Allen
Lindenwood: Rachael Morrison
Maryville: Elaina Readnour
McKendree: Kayla Tirey
Missouri S&T: Krista Hilmas
Missouri-St. Louis: Kennedy Moore
Quincy: Athena Lesiotis
Rockhurst: Maggie Moyer
Southern Indiana: Presley Warren
Southwest Baptist: Amanda Berkstresser
Truman State: Lily Ende
William Jewell: McKenna Fulton