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Vikings Head to Bowling Green for Mel Brodt Invitational

Vikings Head to Bowling Green for Mel Brodt Invitational
Posted: Sep 08, 2009

Sept. 8, 2009

Contact: Greg Murphy

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THE STARTING LINE: Cleveland State returns to action when the Vikings travel to Bowling Green, Ohio, to compete in the Mel Brodt Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 12. The race will begin at 2:00 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: The Vikings opened the 2009 season by placing fifth of eight teams at the Bill Sudeck Invitational on Saturday (Sept. 5). Sophomore Brittany Elmlinger led the way with a 15th place finish in 20:29, while sophomore Kelly Zaleski was 20th in 21:00.

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. Jaketic is a 1972 graduate of CSU.

CRAINE BACK IN ACTION: After missing all of last season with a stress fracture in her leg, sophomore Allison Craine was back in action on Saturday at the Bill Sudeck Classic. Craine, who was CSU's top finisher in all nine events in 2007, finished 28th overall in 21:20.

SUPER SOPHS: Sophomores Brittany Elmlinger and Kelly Zaleski were CSU's top two finishers on Saturday at Case Western Reserve as Elmlinger finished 15th in 20:29 and Zaleski was 20th in 21:00. Elmlinger knocked more than 30 seconds off her time from the same event last season, while Zaleski was even better, knocking more than 50 seconds off her time from the 2008 Bill Sudeck Classic.

CLOSE THE GAP: One of the squads biggest goals this season will be to close the gap between the No. 1 runner and the No. 5 runner and the Vikings were successful on Saturday. Brittany Elmlinger was CSU's top runner in 20:29, while Rachel Niemi, the No. 5 runner, was less than two minutes behind (22:22). At last season's Bill Sudeck Classic, there was almost a five-minute gap between the No. 1 and No. 5 runners.

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 Friendship Invitational, hosted by Cedarville, on Saturday (Sept. 19) at 10:00 a.m.