Oct. 22, 2007
Contact: Greg Murphy
THE STARTING LINE: After a weekend off, Cleveland State returns to action at the Horizon League Championships on Saturday (Oct. 27) in Valparaiso, Ind. The race is scheduled to begin at 11:00 am at Sunset Hills Park.
LAST TIME OUT: The Vikings placed 11th out of 18 teams with 358 points at the Falcon Invitational in Bowling Green, Ohio on Oct. 13. CSU bested the other two league schools that competed in the race, besting Wright State who was 12th (359) and Detroit which placed 16th (415). Allison Craine was CSU's top finisher as she was 39th with a time of 19:10, just eight seconds shy of her personal best.
THE HEAD COACH: In his third season at the helm of the cross country team, Joe Jaketic has continued to make steady progress in building the program. Last season, Jaketic guided the squad to an eighth place showing at the Horizon League Championships. It marked the first time since the 1997 MCC Championships that CSU finished ahead of a league foe. Jaketic is a veteran of CSU athletics as he is in his 37th season overseeing the department's equipment operations.
ON THE HORIZON: CSU placed eighth at the 2006 Horizon League Championships, marking the first time this decade that the Vikings finished ahead of another team at the league meet. Prior to last season, CSU had never placed higher than ninth since the meet expanded to nine teams in 2002.
NOT MUCH EXPERIENCE: CSU's roster boasts just three athletes who have competed at the league championships. Junior Audrey Piotrowski ran at the 2005 and 2006 conference championships, while her twin sister, Audrey, and sophomore Colleen Conway competed last season.
WE MEET AGAIN: The Vikings will be making their second trip of the season to Valparaiso and Sunset Hills Park after placing eighth at the Crusader Invitational on Sept. 7. Allison Craine was the top freshman finisher among the five league schools that competed at the race and placed 19th overall.
SEVENTH HEAVEN: Freshman Allison Craine has been the top runner for CSU in all seven events this season, including a personal-best time of 19:02 at the Mel Brodt Invitational on Sept. 15 at Bowling Green. That time was the lowest for a CSU runner since Amy Ritzman ran an 18:53 at the 1992 Mid-Continent Championships. Craine was honored as the Horizon League Athlete of the Week on Sept. 25 after placing 10th at the Ohio Invitational with a time of 19:21.
UP NEXT: The Vikings will be out of action until Nov. 10 when they compete at the Great Lakes Regional Championships in Bloomington, Ind. The race is slated for 11:00 am.
