Oct. 29, 2011

Results (PDF) 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Marquette University men's cross country team notched a seventh-place finish, while the women's team placed ninth at the 2011 BIG EAST Conference Cross Country Championships Saturday morning at the E.P "Tom" Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky.

The men's mark ties the highest finish they have recorded since joining the conference for the 2005 season. The MU men placed seventh three straight seasons, from 2007-09.

"I thought both groups ran very well and I am really happy with how they performed," said fifth-year Marquette head cross country coach Mike Nelson. "This is the first time in a long time that we have had five guys under 25 minutes on the men's side and that is kind of the elite barrier. We finished seventh overall and we were gunning for the top six, but at the same time we knew we had to hold off Cincinnati. Sure enough it played out just like I thought it would. The women did a really nice job too. It was a big PR by Elisia Meyle and we also got PRs from Carly Windt and Courtney Kelly."

Senior Blake Johnson led the Golden Eagles in 33rd-place with a personal-best 8-kilometer time of 24:28.6. His finish was also a personal best, topping his 2010 mark of 40th overall.

Redshirt sophomore Jack Senefeld and redshirt junior Jack Hackett stepped into Marquette's top three with personal-best times of 24:38.6 (42nd overall) and 24:40.9 (40 overall), respectively. Junior Connor Callahan (45th/24:50.4) and senior Peter Bolgert (51st/24:55.8) rounded out the men's top-five runners.

The MU men placed their top five ahead of the top two runners from each squad behind them in the team standings.

Racing in her first conference championship, freshman Elisia Meyle led the women in 55th place with a time of 22:01.3.  She was followed by redshirt junior Courtney Kelly's personal-best time of 22:22.4 in 64th place.

Rounding out the MU women's top five were redshirt junior Carly Windt (66th/22:23.8), junior Christina Sliepka (75th/22:39.5) and sophomore Sarah Ball (76th/22:40.2)

The top five women and top four men for the Golden Eagles all recorded personal-best times in the 6K and 8K, respectively.

Villanova took home team titles in both the men's and women's races, while VU senior and 2010 NCAA Champion Shelia Reid captured her third-straight BIG EAST individual title.

The meet included three men's and seven women's programs ranked in the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Coaches' Poll. The Marquette men are ranked eighth in the Great Lakes Region, up five spots from their previous ranking of No. 13.

The Golden Eagles previously competed at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park on Saturday, Oct. 1 in the Greater Louisville Classic. The men placed sixth and the women 20th.

Men's Results
1. (43) Villanova
2. (94) Georgetown
3. (96) Louisville
4. (97) Syracuse
5. (116) Providence
6. (119) Notre Dame
7. (201) Marquette
8. (218) Cincinnati
9. (273) DePaul
10. (274) Connecticut
11. (361) Rutgers
12. (388) USF
13. (390) Pittsburgh
14. (437) Seton Hall

Women's Results
1. (54) Villanova
2. (63) Providence
3. (77) Georgetown
4. (92) Syracuse
(92) West Virginia
6. (136) Notre Dame
7. (165) Connecticut 
8. (249) USF
9. (301) Marquette
10. (322) Rutgers
11. (340) Louisville
12. (342) Cincinnati
13. (416) St. John's
14. (428) DePaul
15. (462) Seton Hall
16. (476) Pittsburgh

7. (201) Marquette-
33. (32) Blake Johnson 24:28.6 (PR)
40. (39) Jack Senefeld 24:38.6 (PR)
42. (40) Jack Hackett 24:40.9 (PR)
45. (43) Connor Callahan 24:50.4 (PR)
51. (47) Peter Bolgert 24:55.8
58. (-52-) Patrick Maag 25:08.0
68. (-58-) Anthony Gedwill 25:29.2
69. Chris Spudic 25:40.4
102. Spencer Agnew 27:04.8

9. (301) Marquette
55. (50) Elisia Meyle 22:01.3 (PR)
64. (58) Courtney Kelly 22:22.4 (PR)
66. (60) Carly Windt 22:23.8 (PR)
75. (66) Christina Sliepka 22:39.5 (PR)
76. (67) Sarah Ball 22:40.2 (PR)
84. (-74-) Kate Horan 22:49.1
95. (-82-) Alyssa Beste 23:09.4
100. Alyssa Stevens 23:24.0 (PR)
102. Hannah Frett 23:24.8

Marquette's BIG EAST Championship Results (athletes competing in 2011)

Women
2005 - Third
2006 - Fifth
*2007 - Seventh
2008 - Seventh (Horan (69))
2009 - Eighth 
2010 - 10th (Windt (62), Horan (80), Kelly (87))
*2011 - Ninth 

Men
2005 - Eighth
2006 - Eighth
*2007 - Seventh (Bolgert (68))
2008 - T-Seventh
2009 - Seventh (Johnson (43), Bolgert (51), Callahan (56), Gedwill (60), Maag (95))
2010 - Eighth (Senefeld (33), Johnson (40), Bolgert (46), Hackett (58), Callahan (63), Agnew (89))
*2011 - Seventh

*at Louisville

Marquette Golden Eagles Cross Country

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