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McKenzie and Rogers Compete Well at NAIA Cross Country Nationals
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| Megan Rogers |
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| Matt McKenzie |
Two athletes represented St. Louis College of Pharmacy at the NAIA National Cross Country Championships in Vancouver, Wash., on November 19. One is beginning his college cross country career by breaking records, while the other capped off her college career with her best finish at nationals.
First-year Matt McKenzie became the third-fastest man in STLCOP cross country history by running 26:59 for the 8K - his best time by nearly a minute. His time smashed the STLCOP freshman record (28:36) and was was the fastest for any Eutectic this year. It is also the fourth-fastest 8K time in STLCOP history. McKenzie finished 247th of 312 runners in the national competition.
Head Coach David Baker said McKenzie really rose up to the occasion. "Matt was not intimidated by the level of competition," Baker said. "He really proved that he's a runner on the national level."
McKenzie became the first freshman in the history of STLCOP men's cross country to qualify for the national meet by finishing 11th at the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) championships in Owensboro, Ky., on November 5. He led the STLCOP team throughout the 2011 season.
Rain poured down onto the Vancouver area for eight days before the race, saturating the course. Even though the weather cleared up before race time, the wet course meant mucky conditions for the runners, particularly for the women’s race, which came after the men's. During the men's race, runners created large sections of pure mud that the women could only avoid by running off the course to get around. Despite the slow conditions of the course, Megan Rogers’ time of 20:55 for the soggy 5K was the third-fastest in her career. Her PR of 20:33 came in 2008 at the national meet in Kenosha, Wis., but the highest finish of her three national races came this year, when she finished 268th of 323 runners in Vancouver. She is only the second Eutectic runner in STLCOP history to make three appearances at nationals.
"Megan's race was the picture of four years of hard work," Baker said. "She was aggressive and focused. It was her best race of the year and it was special to me to see all that hard work result in a a great race at nationals."
Rogers qualified for the national meet by finishing seventh at the (KIAC) championships in Owensboro, Ky., on November 5. Her top-seven finish earned her all-conference honors. During her four years as a Eutectic, Rogers racked up three all-conference titles, three national qualifications and the title of second-fastest woman in STLCOP cross country history.
While Rogers will hang up her college racing spikes, McKenzie is already preparing for indoor track season beginning in December.
Eutectics Compete at Conference, Rogers and McKenzie Qualify for Nationals
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| Megan Rogers and Matt McKenzie qualify for the NAIA National Cross Country Championships. |
Saturday, November 5, the Eutectic cross country teams competed at the KIAC Championship meet in Owensboro, Ky. While the men's and women's teams finished sixth and fifth respectively of seven teams, the highlights were two individual STLCOP qualifiers to the NAIA National Cross Country Championships in
Vancouver, Wash., on November 19: Megan Rogers and Matt McKenzie.
Megan Rogers, a fifth-year, felt a bit nervous about competing in what could have been her final race as a Eutectic. Running hard the entire race in about 13th place, Rogers kicked into a higher gear for the last quarter mile and passed several conference competitors. She finish the race in 7th place - good enough for All-Conference honors and a direct qualification to nationals. Rogers finished the 5K hilly course at Yellow Creek Park in 20:48, her best time this season. No stranger to the national meet, this will be her third trip to the "big show." Rogers qualified as an individual her freshman year to make the trip nationals in Kenosha, Wis. Her second-year, Rogers led the Eutectic women's team as they became conference champions and qualified for the national meet Vancouver, Wash., as a team.
First-year Matt McKenzie ran a great race at conference, adding in surges to his race plan to move up in the pack. His time of 27:53 for the 8K was good enough to get him into position to cross the finish line in 11th place and qualify for nationals. McKenzie became only the fourth Eutectic in STLCOP history to qualify for nationals as a freshman, joining Rogers, David Baker, and Amy Hall in that exclusive list.
At the conference meet, first-year James Lidy ran a PR of 29:49 for 8K as the second Eutectic to cross the finish in 29th place. First-year Eric Goulden, and fifth-years Alec Daily and Sarju Panchal were in the top five for STLCOP men's team. On the women's side, first-year Bethany Chew was the second runner for the Euts, finishing in 22:59 in 26th place. Second-year Amber Crites, fifth-year Kristin Hagan, and first-year Mara Hofherr rounded out the scorers for the women's team.
STLCOP Competes in St. Louis Fall Classic at Forest Park
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First-year Matt McKenzie fights through the pack.
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The STLCOP men's and women's cross country teams competed at the St. Louis Fall Classic in Forest Park on Saturday, October 22. Formerly the STLCOP Invitational, this year's meet marked the tenth annual running of the event and brought in more teams and higher competition than previous years. Friends University ran away with the meet on both the men's and women's sides, with the closest team finisher lagging more than 30 points behind. Both individual race champions were on the Friends teams; Jordan Arnold won the women's 5K in 17:55, while Matt Ditzler won the men's 8K in 25:15.
STLCOP finished in ninth place out of 12 teams in the men's race. First-year Matt McKenzie led the Euts in 24th place, averaging 5:36 per mile and finishing the race inn 27:50 for a Eutectic PR. Fellow first-year James Lidy was the second Eutectic to cross the finish line in 52nd place, while fourth-years Alec Daily and Sarju Panchal, and second-year Yang Pan filled out the top five for the Euts.
The Eutectic women finished 13th of 13 teams. Fourth-year Megan Rogers again led the Eutectics in 38th place, averaging 6:49 per mile and finishing in 21:11. First-year Bethany Chew was the second Eutectic to cross the finish in 65th place at 22:40, a new college PR. Second-years Jackie Gosney and Amber Crites, and first-year Mara Hofherr were among the top-five Eutectic runners.
The Eutectics now have two weeks to prepare for the KIAC championships at Brescia University on November 5.
Eutectics Compete Hard at Washington University Early Bird Meet
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The Eutectic Women's Cross Country Team lines up to start at the Washington University Early Bird Meet. |
The STLCOP Cross Country team kicked off the season at the Washington University Early Bird meet on Saturday, September 8. Both squads competed hard on the hot and humid day.
Fourth-year Megan Rogers led the way for the women's team with a time of 17:17 for the 4K, good enough for 60th-place overall. Her performance was an Early Bird PR for her and one of the top times in the conference for week 1. STLCOP's next six runners finished within 60 seconds of one another. The trio of first-year Amanda Zoschke (101, 18:59), second-year Jackie Gosney (103, 19:02), and first-year Mara Hofherr (104, 19:09) found themselves in a tight pack and traded places throughout the race. First-year Bethany Chew (114, 19:45), fourth-year Kristin Hagan (116, 19:48) and second-year Amber Crites (117, 19:51) rounded out the Eut's top seven.
The men's team was led by first-year Matt McKenzie. McKenzie got off to a fast start and held on to finish 97th overall in a time of 21:59 which ranks as the 4th fastest 6K time in STLCOP history. Not too far behind McKenzie was fellow first-year James Lidy. Making his cross country debut and having run only one season of track prior to this season, Lidy got out fast and moved up throughout the race. His time of 22:40 was good
enough for 118th overall. Fourth-year Sarju Panchel (159, 24:38), first-year Eric Goulden (163, 24:53), and
fourth-year Mark Streitz (165, 25:02) rounded out the Euts' top five.
The Eutectics have a month off to prepare for the their next race on Saturday, October 1, when they'll travel to Chicago for the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational.
2011 Cross Country Preview
The St. Louis College of Pharmacy Cross Country programs enter the 2011 season with an exciting group of returning athletes and a new crop of freshman runners. Both the men’s and women’s teams will look to build upon recent success and will be lead by a mix of returning and freshman runners.
Women’s Preview:
The women’s team returns two-time NAIA National Qualifier Megan Rogers. Rogers’ PR of 20:33 for 5K ranks second in the STLCOP record books. Rogers will be joined by fellow seniors Karen Obermann and Kristin Hagen who will compete for top-seven spots.
Sophomores Amber Crites and Jackie Gosney will look to improve on their 2010 seasons. Crites has been a strong competitor in Cross Country and is coming off a track season which included an all-conference performance in the 400m. While only competing in one meet for the Euts last year, Gosney, a 2:18 half miler in high school, has the ability to be an elite cross country runner for the Euts in the future. Sophomores Amanda Bettlach and Crystal Naes will once again vie for top-seven spots.
A group of four freshmen will be critical to the Euts’ success in 2011. Bethany Chew, Mara Hofherr, Amanda Zoschke, and Shelby Brown should each vie for top-seven spots. All four of the freshmen were multi-sport athletes who excelled both with running and with their second sport.
Coach Baker’s take on the women: “This might be the most athletic group of women we’ve ever had. Yet not one of our top girls was a Cross Country runner first. I think if these girls work together and start to rely on each other that this could be a special season. I can’t wait to see them in a workout… this is a competitive group of athletes who, I believe, could push each other to be better than they knew they could be.”
Men’s Preview:
The 2011men’s squad will start the season in rebuilding mode having lost four of the top five men from the 2010 team, including national qualifiers David Baker and Amr Abualnadi. A trio of freshman will likely lead the rebuilding process: Matt McKenzie, Eric Goulden, and James Lidy. Of the freshman, McKenzie was the most accomplished of the trio in high school, and by season’s end, should have a shot at earning one of the NAIA National qualifying spots. Goulden and Lidy certainly will vie for top-seven spots as well.
Alec Daily, the two-time KIAC Track athlete of the year, will be one of the Euts’ top guys in 2011 and should push the freshman group for the top spot on the team. Daily’s first season of cross country in 2010 was marred by injury, but with a full season of training, he should be a major player for the Euts.
Also returning for the Euts are three seniors: Mark Streitz, Sarju Panchal, and Jake Gendron. Streitz and
Panchal came in with no high school experience, but now, four years later, each is on the verge of breaking 30 minutes for 8k and will be counted on to keep the Euts in the mix this season. Gendron is coming off an outstanding Track season as a sprinter and thrower. Look for Gendron to be knocking on the sub-30 minute mark as well. Sophomores Yang Pan, Alex Milligan, Bobby Jones, Kash Padmaraju, and John Love will each look to improve on their freshman year and will work to finish in one of the top-seven spots.
Coach Baker’s take on the Men: “It’s a lot to ask of the freshmen to be the leaders of the team. But having met these young men I’m confident that we’re moving in the right direction for our future. I think in the long run, being thrown into the fire will push them to excel now. On the flip side you’ve got a very hard working group of seniors who, I’m sure, aren’t planning to just give the number-one spot away without a fight. The workouts should be fun.”
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