Posted: Oct 29, 2013

SLIAC Game of the Week - Oct. 29

The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Game of the Week is a weekly feature that highlights a key match-up or event in the conference. This week's SLIAC Game of the Week is the SLIAC Cross Country Championship this Saturday, November 2.

At a Glance
The annual SLIAC Cross Country Championship will take place this Saturday, November 2, in Hillsboro, Illinois. This will be the fourth consecutive year the event has been held in Hillsboro at the Hillsboro Country Club and Park District. The women are scheduled to run first, starting at 10 a.m. while the men are set to start at 10:45 a.m.

The Women's Field
After the graduation of two time SLIAC champion, Principia's Casey Powell, this year the conference will crown a new individual champion. The field figures to be a competitive race with five of the top seven finishers in last year's championship returning to compete.

Webster's Heather Heisse had the top 5K time of any conference runner this year with a time of 19:32 in her last meet two weeks ago. Principia's Sarah Litwiller, a four time SLIAC Runner of the Week this year, put together a season best time of 19:33 on her home course October 11th and will look to challenge near the top.

Spalding's Casey Richardson just missed the 20 minute mark with a season best time of 20:37 as did two time SLIAC Runner of the Week Westminster's Sarah Koestner with a time of 20:06. Alyssa Tonner, from Fontbonne, is a two time Runner of the Week winner this season, and had a season best time of 23:36. Greenville's Alyvia Powers finished with a season best time of 24:40 two weeks ago and hopes to continue that push at the end of the season. Blackburn has been led by freshman Tavi Wallace this season while Eureka's Amanda Schreck will look to carry the Red Devils. New conference member Iowa Wesleyan will look to Bre Derynck to make a strong showing at the meet.

The Men's Field
The SLIAC men's race will be highlighted by a battle between three prominent runners in Spalding's Haile Jemane, Principia's Wylie Mangelsdorf and Webster's Ethan Jeffries. Jemane is the top returning finisher from last year's meet, finishing second and ran a season best time of 25:55 nearly three weeks ago. Jemane will be joined at the top by a pair of former SLIAC Newcomer of the Year award winners in Wylie Mangelsdorf and Ethan Jeffries.

Mangelsdorf, who has been named the conference Runner of the Week four times this season and was the 2010 Newcomer of the Year, has taken his game to the next level this year. After finishing 5th in the 2012 Championship Mangelsdorf has set personal best times this year and finished with a time of 24:57 on two separate occassions this season. Jeffries, the 2012 Newcomer of the Year, has re-written the record books at Webster this season, becoming the first Gorlok to win multiple races. He set a personal best time of 25:12 three weeks and placed ninth last season in the championships.

Westminster's Jesse Edwards will look to challenge up front as well after finishing with a season best time of 26:42. Fontbonne's Justin Horneker put together a personal best of 26:15 earlier this year while Greenville's Josh Dees looks to make some noise after having a season best time of 26:13. Iowa Wesleyan has leaned on Jacob Ayers this year in their meets while Blackburn will count on Jacob DeRousse and Eureka will look to Cory Shoopman.

Game Notes

Last year's Women's race was won by Principia's Casey Powell with a time of 22:41
Last year's Men's champion was Spalding University.
The Principia women won the team title last season, their second title in the last three years and sixth overall.
Spalding's Abram Deng won his second straight SLIAC title in 2012 with a time of 25:31.
The last four years has featured a different men's team champion each year.