Mangold Looks to Help Panthers Defend Conference Title
John Mangold will look to help Greenville University defend their St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Cross Country title as the highest returning finisher from last year's championship meet. Mangold placed 4th overall last fall, helping the Panthers capture the team title with 35 total points. Mangold has finished first for the Panthers twice this fall including a best time of 26:21 in the 8K this year. Dylan Goodyear will be near the top of the finishers as well, tying Mangold with two top team finishes this year. Goodyear is coming into the race on a roll, having run a team low 8K time of 26:19 in their last meet.
Webster University, who was picked 2nd in the preseason poll, will look to challenge for the title thanks to team depth. The Gorloks are led by Colton Vaughn, who has a best time of 27:04 this year and has paced the Gorloks three times this fall. Nathan Freyling has shown flashes this fall, putting up a team best time of 26:55 while Javier Cervantes and Eli Guzman have also put up times under 28-minutes this season.
Principia College placed 2nd in last year's SLIAC Championship but graduated the top three individuals from that race. However, one name to watch will be Abe Ott. The junior has been the first Principia runner to cross the finish line in all five of his team's races this fall. He has broken 28-minutes in his last three races with a best time of 26:35.
Will Brittain has paced Spalding this fall with three team top finishes. He has lowered his time in each of the last three races, cutting off over two-minutes during that span. His last outing was a 27:02 time at the Jenna Strong Classic two weeks ago. Dane Thomas and Eli Thomas have also reduced their times over the three race stretch and will be looking to get some points for the Golden Eagles.
Westminster College's hopes rely on Sam Moore. Moore, a freshman, has paced the Blue Jays in all four races this fall. Joseph Labitska will be looking to improve on his 35th place finish at last year's championship.
The Fontbonne team will consist of Jacob Dixon, Austin Joyce, and Juwan Lee. Dixon finished 31st overall last year and will be looking to improve on that finish. He has led the Griffins in three meets this season. Freshman Austin Joyce has the other two top team finishes while Juwan Lee will be competing in his first conference championship.
Iowa Wesleyan, competing in the first year since the return of the program, will look to Joel Amor to led the team once again. He has led the team in all five races this season with a personal best 8K time of 28:09.
MacMurray has relied on the duo of Gabriel Sherrill and Zach Vespa to carry them this fall. Sherrill, a freshman, has three top team finishes including a personal best time of 28:57 at the Stegemoller Classic. Vespa, a sophomore, will be racing in his second conference championship meet at leading the Highlanders last year with a 34th place finish.
The 2018 SLIAC Men's Cross Country Championship race will be held Saturday, October 27 at Litchfield Country Club in Litchfield, Illinois. Race time is set for 11:15 a.m.
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