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Vikings to Compete at All-Ohio Invitational

Vikings to Compete at All-Ohio Invitational
Posted: Sep 28, 2009

Sept. 28, 2009

Contact: Greg Murphy

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MEET #5
All-Ohio Invitational
Date: Friday, Oct. 2, 2009
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Site: Delaware, Ohio

THE STARTING LINE: Cleveland State returns to action when the Vikings head to Delaware, Ohio, to compete in the annual All-Ohio Championship on Friday, Oct. 2. The event will begin at 2:00 p.m. at at the Methodist Theological School and Delaware Golf Course and is being hosted by Ohio Wesleyan.

LAST TIME OUT: CSU finished seventh of seven teams at the Ohio Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 26. The race was originally scheduled to be a 6-k, but was shortened to a 3-k due to inclement weather in the area. Allison Craine finished 22nd in 11:25.

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 GETTING BACK ON TRACK: Sophomore Allison Craine continues to work back into competition shape after missing the entire 2008 season with a stress fracture in her leg. Craine, who was CSU's top finisher in all eight events in 2007, has been the Vikings top finisher in the last two events, including a 19:36 at the Cedarville Invitational. In 11 career events, Craine has posted sub 20-minute times on seven occasions.

SUPER SOPH: Sophomore Brittany Elmlinger has shown no signs of a sophomore slump thusfar, having been CSU's first or second finisher in all four events this season. She was 24th at Cedarville (Sept. 19), running a 19:49. That performance came on the heels of Elmlinger finishing 37th at Bowling Green on Sept. 12 in 19:29, just one second off her personal best time.

HOW LOW CAN SHE GO?: Sophomore Kelly Zaleski has lowered her personal best time in each of the last two full events (not counting the Ohio Invitational), beginning with a 20:16 at Bowling Green on Sept. 12. That time was one second better than her old record set last season at Ohio. However, Zaleski was even better at Cedarville on Sept. 26, finishing in 20:11, knocking five more seconds off her personal best.

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 scheduled the Vikings to compete at the Walt Disney World Classic in Orlando, Fla. on Oct. 10. 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.

UP NEXT: The Vikings will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 10, when CSU competes in the Walt Disney World Classic in Orlando, Fla.