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Vikings Back in Action at Ohio Invitational

Vikings Back in Action at Ohio Invitational
Posted: Sep 21, 2010

Sept. 21, 2010

Contact: Greg Murphy

MEET #4

Ohio Invitational
Date: Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010
Time: 11:15 a.m.
Site: Athens, Ohio

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THE STARTING LINE: The Cleveland State cross country team is in action for the fourth consecutive week when the Vikings travel to Athens, Ohio, to take part in the Ohio Invitatinal on Saturday, Sept. 25. The 6K event will begin at 11:15 a.m. at the OU Golf Course.

THE HEAD COACH: Now in his sixth 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 in December of 2008, has consistently had his team near the top of the Horizon League in GPA and has won the Academic Progress Rate Award in each of the last three years.

LAST TIME OUT: The Vikings finished eighth of 12 teams at the Cedarville Friendship Invitational on Saturday (Sept. 18) with 165 points. Junior Allison Craine was CSU's top finisher for the third straight week, finishing 15th in 19:31.

1-2-3-4: The Vikings have had the same top four finishers in all three events this season. Allison Craine has been the first CSU runner to cross the finish line, followed by Brittany Elmlinger, Kelly Zaleski and Kari Haywood in each race.

GOOD AVERAGE: CSU's top five runners all posted personal best times at the Mel Brodt Invitational on Saturday with the average time being 19:39, including three runners under 19 minutes. The average time of the top five finishers was the best under head coach Joe Jaketic and one of the top in school history.

UNDER 19: Junior Allison Craine ran a personal best time of 18:50 at the Mel Brodt Invitational on Sept. 11, becoming just the third harrier in school history to break the 19 minute mark, joining Amy Ritzman and Ann Henderson.

LONG LAYOFF LEADS TO PERSONAL BEST: When junior Kari Haywood took to the course at the Flyer 5K Invitational on Sept. 4, it marked her first competitive race since her senior year in high school in 2006. And she did not disappoint. Haywood ran a personal-best time of 20:43, the first time she ever broke the 21 minute mark. She bettered that time at the Mel Brodt Invitational on Sept. 11, running a 20:06.

ONE SMART TEAM: The cross country team was recognized on the 2009 NCAA Division I USTFCCA Women's Cross Country All-Academic Team. The squad carried a 3.64 grade point average, the 10th highest in Division I. In addition, the squad earned a public recognition award from the NCAA for its multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) for the third consecutive year. 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.

UP NEXT: CSU will be back in action on Friday (Oct. 1) when they compete at the All-Ohio Invitational. The race will begin at 2:45 p.m. in Cedarville, Ohio.