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Cross Country Opens Season at Bill Sudeck Invitational

Cross Country Opens Season at Bill Sudeck Invitational
Posted: Aug 31, 2009

Aug. 31, 2009

Contact: Greg Murphy

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THE STARTING LINE: Cleveland State opens the 2009 season when the Vikings travel to Case Western Reserve to compete in the Bill Sudeck Classic on Saturday (Sept. 5). The race begins at 11:45 a.m. at Valleeview Farm. It will mark the fourth consecutive season that CSU will begin its season at CWRU.

THE HEAD COACH: Now in his fifth season at the helm of the cross country program, Joe Jaketic has continued to make steady progress in building the team. A 1972 graduate of Cleveland State, Jaketic guided the Vikings to a ninth place showing at the league championship in 2007 and an eighth place showing in 2006. It was the first time since the 1996-97 MCC Championships that CSU finished ahead of a league foe in back-to-back seasons. Jaketic, who was the equipment manager at CSU for 37 years before retiring last winter, has consistently had his team near the top of the Horizon League in GPA and has won the Academic Progress Rate Award in 2008 and 2009. A native of Maple Heights, Ohio, Jaketic is a 1972 graduate of Cleveland State and was a member of the cross country team.

CRAINE BACK IN ACTION: There will be a familiar face returning to the Vikings lineup this fall as sophomore Allison Craine is back after redshirting last season due to a stress fracture in her leg. Craine was CSU's top finisher in all eight events during the 2007 campaign, including a 19th place finish at the Horizon League Championships.

BACK FOR YEAR TWO: Sophomore Brittany Elmlinger will once again be one of CSU's top runners after she finished either first or second in all nine events last season. She saved her best for last, leading the Vikings with a 26th place finish at the Horizon League Championship with a time of 19:39. She was the third freshman to finish the race.

UP, UP, AND AWAY: Prior to a late addition to the schedule, all six of CSU's regular season events were scheduled to take place in Ohio. However, head coach Joe Jaketic surprised the squad by scheduling the Vikings to compete at the Walt Disney World Classic in Orlando, Fla. on Oct. 2. It will mark the first time that CSU will fly to a competition and will be the furthest the team has ever traveled to an event.

THIS TEAM IS SMART: The cross country squad has earned a public recognition award from the NCAA for its multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) score in each of the last two seasons. The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester or quarter by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete. The Vikings were the lone team from the Horizon League to be honored in each of the last two seasons.

UP NEXT: The Vikings will return to action at the Mel Brodt Invitational, hosted by Bowling Green, on Saturday (Sept. 12) at 2:00 p.m.