August 4, 2005

2005 Men's Cross Country Preview

   After enjoying a championship season in 2004, the Indiana State men’s cross country team enters the 2005 campaign with high hopes for another successful year. The Sycamores authored the greatest turnaround in Missouri Valley Conference history last season, winning a share of the conference championship after finishing seventh in 2003. Despite returning seven of the team’s top ten runners from a year ago, head coach John McNichols knows his team will face a difficult challenge trying to repeat last year’s success.
   “I’ve found in all my years of coaching that one of the hardest things to do is follow a championships season,” noted McNichols. “It’s a new team with new chemistry. Our success this year will be dependent on our new leadership. What we did last year hould give us confidence, but it’s no guarantee for future success.”
   Leading a talented group of Sycamore runners is senior Jordan Fife. Last season Fife earned all-conference accolades after finishing seventh at the MVC Championships. An MVC Scholar-Athlete he enjoyed a great track season in 2005, breaking the school record in the steeplechase, and earning a spot in the 2005 USA Track and Field Championships, where he posted a tenth-place finish.
    “Jordan got a late start on his cross country training due to the extended track season he had in the spring, but that gave him the confidence now where he expects to be able to race with anyone,” said McNichols. “Sean Bowman and Blaine Zimmermann have just as much talent and I look for them to make that jump this year that we saw from Fife a season ago.”
   Bowman joined the Sycamores as a sophomore last year and finished eighth at the MVC Championships and finished 53rd out of 197 entrants in the Great Lakes Regional Meet. Zimmermann enjoyed a breakout freshman season with the Sycamores in 2004 and posted a top-20 finish at the conference championships.
   The Sycamores also welcome back senior John Nay, who battled injuries in 2004 but returns healthy to provide veteran leadership. Sophomores Kyle Walsh, David Santelik, and Chris Sering return after impressive freshmen campaigns. After gaining valuable experience in numerous meets during 2004, this group will help fill the depth of the ISU lineup. Sering competed at the MVC Championships last year, while Santelik earned a spot in ISU’s lineup at the regional meet. “Last year we had ten guys who were good enough to run in our top seven,” noted McNichols. “This year seven of those ten are back and will be the core group.”
   In addition to the strong group of returning veterans, the Sycamores have added a talent group of newcomers. Scott Keeney of Frankfort, Indiana, finished fourth in the state high school cross country meet last year, while Keith Ludwig was among the state’s top mile runners in high school last year. Scott Koressel of Evansville was the sectional and regional champion in cross country as a senior, and advanced to the state championships.
   ISU will also welcome twin brothers Jeremy and Justin Kunz. Both enjoyed success in both track and field at Rend Lake College the past two years, and combine with the incoming freshmen to give the Sycamores a deep group of newcomers. “This is one of the best recruiting classes we’ve had,” noted McNichols.
   The NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships return to the LaVern Gibson Championships Course on November 21 after having served as the host site in 2002 and 2004. Indiana State University and Terre Haute have also been designated as the host site for the 2006 championships.
   Despite the challenge of preparing to host a championship event and maximize the most out of a talented team, McNichols is excited about what this year will bring. “Hosting the championships is a labor of love, and also great sense of pride for our program and our community,” he said. “While it may be a lot of work, the value we get from it is immeasurable.”
   The season kicks off on September 3, when the Sycamores compete in the Evansville Quad. ISU returns home to host the ISU Invite on September 10 before traveling to Bloomington, to take part in the Indiana Intercollegiates. ISU visits South Bend on September 30 to take part in the Notre Dame Invitational and then hosts the Brooks Pre-Nationals Meet on October 15 at the LaVern Gibson Championships Course. The Sycamores return to Evansville on October 29 to defend their MVC Championship before the Great Lakes Regional, which is scheduled for November 12 in Bloomington.