Spartans Tabbed by Coaches for Third-Straight HCAC Cross Country Crown
2011 HCAC Men's Cross Country Schedule (click here)
GREENWOOD, IN – Manchester College’s men’s cross country team has been selected as the front runner to win the 2011 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship. In a poll of the ten HCAC head coaches, the Spartans received 97 total points and eight first place votes.
Anderson University will strive for its first title since 2007, as the Ravens totaled 85 points and one first place vote. Franklin College placed third in the poll with 82 points and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology finished fourth with 76 points and the final first place vote. Defiance College finished fifth with 57 points and was followed by Earlham College (51 points), Hanover College (42), College of Mount St. Joseph (28), Transylvania University (19), and Bluffton University (13).
Manchester captured their second consecutive HCAC cross country championship last fall and returns a pair of runners that earned First-Team All-HCAC honors. Senior Alec Womboldt (Dewitt, Mich./H.S.) placed 11th overall at the conference meet last fall, while sophomore Chris LaFree (South Bend, Ind./Riley) earned a ninth place finish as a freshman. The duo will strive to pace the Spartans at the HCAC championship in late October.
Anderson finished third behind Manchester and Franklin last season at the conference meet. The Ravens return a First-Team All-HCAC member and a pair of Honorable Mention selections from last season. Junior Kirk Saunders (Bloomington, Ill./University) earned a fifth place finish to lead the Ravens at the meet, earning All-HCAC honors for the second-straight season. Junior Eric Linn (Macy, Ind./North Miami) and senior Jake Wyatt (Hudson, Ind./Prairie Heights) will try and earn First-Team All-HCAC honors this fall after earning Honorable Mention honors in 2010.
Franklin College placed second at last year’s meet, finishing seven points behind first place Manchester. The blue and gold lost last year’s HCAC champion (Kevin Martin) to graduation and will turn to First-Team All-HCAC honoree Kris Sandlin (Scottsburg, Ind./H.S.) to pace the squad. Sandlin earned a seventh place finish at the 2010 meet and will look to move up the standings this fall. Seniors Jay Druba (Hanover, Ind./Southwestern) and Brandon Litz (Monrovia, Ind./Plainfield) earned Honorable Mention All-HCAC honors last year after 16th and 18th place finishes respectively.
The 2011 HCAC Men’s Cross Country Championship is set for Saturday, October 29. The event will be hosted by Anderson University.
The 2011 men’s cross country season is set to begin on September 1.
Runners to Watch
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Anderson |
Kirk Saunders |
Junior |
Bloomington, Ill./University |
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Eric Linn |
Junior |
Macy, Ind./North Miami |
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Jake Wyatt |
Senior |
Hudson, Ind./Prairie Heights |
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Bluffton |
Andrew Chaffee |
Senior |
Clarkston, Mich./H.S. |
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Defiance |
Justin Perkins |
Senior |
Bryan, Ohio/Fairview |
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Hayden Krick |
Junior |
Antwerp, Ohio/H.S. |
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Aaron Fraley |
Senior |
Ansonia, Ohio/H.S. |
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Earlham |
Jacob Naegeli |
Senior |
Trout Creek, Mont./Thompson Falls |
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Simon Conrad |
Sophomore |
Washington, D.C./Edmund Burke |
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Sean McGuire |
Senior |
Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli |
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Franklin |
Kris Sandlin |
Sophomore |
Scottsburg, Ind./H.S. |
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Brandon Litz |
Senior |
Monrovia, Ind./Plainfield |
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Jay Druba |
Senior |
Hanover, Ind./Southwestern |
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Hanover |
Andrew Kinman |
Senior |
Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove |
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Logan Wells |
Freshman |
Scottsburg, Ind./H.S. |
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Brendan Kelly |
Sophomore |
Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central |
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Manchester |
Alec Womboldt |
Senior |
Dewitt, Mich./H.S. |
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Zeth Baker |
Junior |
Waterloo, Ind./DeKalb |
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Calvin Cook |
Junior |
Plymouth, Ind./H.S. |
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Chris LaFree |
Sophomore |
South Bend, Ind./Riley |
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The Mount |
Jonathan Mathis |
Sophomore |
Cincinnati, Ind./Roger Bacon |
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Chris Klaine |
Sophomore |
Cincinnati, Ind./Taylor |
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Cody Lacewell |
Freshman |
Cincinnati, Ind./Oak Hills |
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Rose-Hulman |
Andrew Thompson |
Sophomore |
Mundelein, Ill./Vernon Hills |
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Micah Aldrich |
Senior |
Indianapolis, Ind./Warren Central |
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Josh Elkins |
Senior |
Brownsburg, Ind./H.S. |
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Transylvania |
Sam Gaines |
Junior |
Cincinnati, Ohio/Finneytown |
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