MONMOUTH CROSS COUNTRY CHASES DUAL TITLES IN 1997
The 1997 Monmouth cross country season promises to be filled with another set of successful individual and team results as the men
=s and women=s squads return a majority of their scoring runners from last year=s Midwest Conference Championship Meet. Coach Chris Pio led his men=s team to their first-ever MWC league championship title last fall in record-setting fashion and the women placed 3rd at the conference meet. The cross country rosters are filled with veteran upperclassmen who have big-meet experience and both groups could challenge for conference titles in November. This strong nucleus, including six seniors, will be counted on to continue the Scots= distance running success as the teams look to add two more MWC championship trophies this season.The men's squad returns a trio of All-Conference runners from a team which dominated the MWC Conference Meet last fall. Monmouth became only the second school to ever sweep the first four places and scored a team-record low total of 19 points (1-2-3-4-9), the second-lowest score in league history, to capture the conference title. Senior Frank Schweda (Rolling Meadows,IL/Rolling Meadows) is the team
=s leading returning finisher after running to his second consecutive 2nd-place individual finish. Schweda was joined in the top 15 by senior Joel Eckberg (Walnut,IL/Walnut), who placed fourth, and sophomore Jamie Nelson (Monmouth,IL/Monmouth), who finished ninth. Despite graduating five seniors, the Scots= cross country roster is still filled with talented runners who will look to keep Monmouth on top. Senior Matt Clemen (Naples,FL/Cascade [Iowa]) and juniors Jason Dare (Elmwood,IL/Farmington) and Michael Golub (Chicago,IL/Prospect) (All-Conference in 1995) are expected to contend for scoring spots in the lead group, along with newcomers Clint LaFary (Green Valley,IL/Delavan) and Tony Miles (Moline,IL/Moline).The women's team ran to its third straight top-three Midwest Conference Meet finish in 1996 and return six of their top seven runners from a year ago. With a lineup of experienced runners, the Scots will be shooting to challenge defending champion Carroll and Grinnell this fall. The women
=s roster also features three talented seniors, led by two-time All-MWC medalist Carrie Knauer (Strawn,IL/ Prairie Central). Knauer placed 13th at last year=s league meet and ran 12th in 1995. Kathleen Yarger (Belvidere,IL/ Belvidere), who also earned All-Conference honors in 1995, returns fulltime after studying off-campus last fall semester and classmate Rita McQuinn (Mason City,IL/Illini Central), who broke the 10,000-meter school record this spring on the track, will be among the runners in the Scots= lead pack. Junior Gretchen Vandergriff (Wolcott,IN/Greenwood) was the team=s first runner in several meets and had the fastest 5K time of the 1996 cross country season (19:41). A trio of sophomores will also be battling for spots in the scoring pack -- Ann Moody (Yates City,IL/ Farmington) (19th at the MWC meet as a freshman), Dara Pagel (Lincoln,IL/ Lincoln) and Jennifer Hoffman (Orland Park,IL/Carl Sandburg).Monmouth will host the Division III Illinois State Meet on Saturday, October 18th on their home course at Monmouth Park and the MWC Championship Meet is scheduled for November 1st at Grinnell College.