CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Drake University men's cross country team turned in a sixth-place performance on Saturday morning at the Missouri Valley Championship with three Bulldogs finishing in the top 20. Drake's women's team came in eighth.
“We had some great efforts across the board today,” said Drake head coach Dan Hostager. “We're excited about moving on to NCAA Regionals in two weeks and with the efforts we had today, we'll take another big step forward.”
The Bulldog men were led by Brogan Austin's (Boone, Iowa) fourth-place finish in 24:15.67 on the 8-kilometer championship course. In a tightly contested team race, Drake was just seven points out of fourth place with 117 points. Host Southern Illinois and Indiana State tied for first with 73 points while Bradley was second with 82. Four teams, including Drake followed and were separated by just eight total points.
Rob McCann (Mississauga, Ontario) was the second Bulldog across the line in 24:46.74 to finish 14th followed by Reed Fischer (Minnetonka, Minn.) in 18th at 24:52.66. Veterans Doug Brady (Englewood, Colo.) and Conor Wells (Des Moines, Iowa) completed Drake's scoring in 36th and 46th place, respectively. Indiana State's John Mascari won the men's race by more than 10 seconds in 23:48.21.
“Though we didn't get the team finish we had hoped for, we had some great efforts from the men's team,” Hostager said. “Brogan [Austin] earning another Elite 18 Award and Rob [McCann] earning second team all-conference were great honor as was Reed [Fischer] setting a PR by nearly a minute. These guys have put in a lot of work and are excited about making further strides at the NCAA Regional Championship in two weeks.”
Krista Maguire (Wausau, Wis.) led the women's eighth-place effort by finishing 13th individually in 17:35.81 on the 5-kilometer course. Drake's team total of 163 was just two points shy of seventh-place Indiana State. Bradley won the women's team title with 39 points.
Emma Hudson (Des Moines, Iowa) finished 23rd for the Bulldogs in 17:58.22 followed by Taylor Scholl (Lake Prior, Minn.) in 32nd at 18:10.5. Melissa Parks (Norfolk, Neb.) and Erica Bestul (Apple Valley, Minn.) finished together in 48th and 49th places to complete the Bulldogs' scoring.
“Krista making second-team All-MVC with a huge PR today was great,” Hostager said. “With only one senior racing today for the women, we took a huge step from last year and are excited about the future.”
The Bulldogs continue the championship portion of their season in two weeks at the NCAA Regional Championship in Peoria, Ill., on Nov. 14.
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2014 Women's MVC Championship
Carbondale, Ill. – 5 kilometers
Women's Team Results
1. Bradley, 39
2. Illinois State, 71
3. Southern Illinois, 78
4. Wichita State, 94
5. Northern Iowa, 127
6. Loyola, 149
7. Indiana State, 161
8. Drake, 163
9. Evansville, 288
10. Missouri State, 308
Drake Individual Women's Results
13. Krista Maguire, 17:35.81
23. Emma Huston, 17:58.22
32. Taylor Scholl, 18:10.50
48. Melissa Parks, 18:40.82
49. Erica Bestul, 18:42.32
59. Bailee Cofer, 19:02.19
63. Elana Breitenbucher, 19:13.41
67. Cassie Aerts, 19:26.70
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2014 Men's MVC Championship
Carbondale, Ill. – 8 kilometers
Men's Team Results
1. Southern Illinois, 73
Indiana State, 73
3. Bradley, 82
4. Illinois State, 110
5. Wichita State, 116
6. Drake, 117
7. Loyola, 118
8. Northern Iowa, 168
9. Evansville, 291
Drake Individual Men's Results
4. Brogan Austin, 24:15.67
14. Rob McCann, 24:46.74
18. Reed Fischer, 24:52.66
36. Doug Brady, 25:27.85
46. Conor Wells, 25:44.29
50. Chris Kaminski, 26:02.03
58. Ali Jandal, 26:41.25
64. Isaiah Vlasek, 27:52.74
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