Franklin Strides for Men’s and Women’s Repeat at HCAC Cross Country Championships

Championship Program (Click Here)
Championship Website (Click Here) 

CINCINNATI, OH - The HCAC men's and women's cross country championships will take place Saturday, October 31 at the College of Mount St. Joseph.  Franklin will be looking to claim the school's second straight men's and women's conference championship.  Manchester and Rose-Hulman look to challenge the Grizzlies this weekend in Cincinnati. 

The Grizzlies have been led by Jake Hojnacki (LaPorte, Ind.) this season after losing Brandon Welti (2^nd at HCAC in 2008) to graduation.  Hojnacki placed ninth among 265 runners at the Wilmington Fall Classic for his most impressive showing this fall. 

The Grizzlies have not fared well against Manchester and Rose-Hulman when they have met on the course this season.  FC finished behind Manchester at the Manchester Hokum Karem and Indiana Intercollegiate, while falling to Rose-Hulman at the Indiana Intercollegiate.  Manchester earned the title at the Indiana Intercollegiate meet with Rose claiming the fifth position and Franklin 10^th.  

The Spartans will be paced by defending HCAC champion Andy Williams (Middlebury, Ind.).  Williams earned the conference's Player of the Week award three times this fall, including the title at the Indiana Little State meet in September (26:00). 

Rose-Hulman's Micah Aldrich (Indianapolis, Ind.) has been running well the second half of the season.  The sophomore finished second individually at the Earlham Invitational with a time of 27:48 a few weeks ago.

The Grizzlies women have been impressive this fall and enter Saturday's championship as the favorite to repeat.  FC has fared well against conference competition this fall, leading the field at the Indiana Intercollegiate meet, the Rose-Hulman Invitational, and the Wilmington Fall Classic.  The blue and gold were most impressive their final time on the course, placing fourth at the 25 team Wilmington Fall Classic.  

Heather Waterman (Shelbyville, Ind.) has been dominant this fall, earning the conference's Player of the Week award five times.  Waterman earned individual titles at the Wilmington Fall Classic (18:38) and Sodexho Grizzly Invitational (18:49) and placed in the top five at the Indiana Little State meet (19:18), the Greater Louisville Classic (18:45), and the Gibson Family Invitational (23:06). 

Manchester's Jessi Bremer (Howe, Ind.) placed fifth overall among Division III finishers at Bowling Green with a time of 19:19.  Bremer also placed seventh overall at the Indiana Little State meet with a time of 19:32. 

Rose-Hulman's Melissa Rogers (Crawfordsville, Ind.) has paced the Engineers this fall and will look to repeat as conference champion Saturday.  Rogers finished fourth overall at the highly competitive Wilmington Fall Classic, finishing with a time of 19:01 in her last meet. 

The top 12 finishers on the men's and women's side will be named All-HCAC, while the top freshman finisher will be named Freshman of the Year.  Individuals who finish 13^th through 20^th at the conference meet will be named honorable mention All-HCAC. 

The women will compete on a 6K course Saturday while the men will run the 8K course.  Action will get underway from the College of Mount St. Joseph at 11 AM.