Men’s team places 12th of 21 schools

The women’s cross country team had its sights on the end of its season from the beginning.

With a disappointing ending to last year’s season at the NCAA Regional, the women set their sights on a strong finish for next season – and they did just that Saturday.

The men’s and women’s cross country teams finished their seasons at the NCAA Midwest Regional Saturday in Peoria.

The women finished in sixth place out of 21 teams. Before the meet, the team set the goal of placing sixth or better and to have two Salukis place in the top 25, which would qualify it for the All-Regional squad.

Head coach, Matt Sparks said both the men’s and women’s teams wanted to place in the top six to qualify as strong contenders for future NCAA Championship meets.

“We knew this year if we wanted to qualify in upcoming years that we would have to take a step this year toward that,” Sparks said.

Sophomores Brittani Christensen and Sarah Rinker led the way for the Salukis, finishing in the top 25 and giving them All-American honors. Christensen finished 23rd, followed by Rinker in 24th.

“I was really excited how the women ran this weekend, especially the top two runners,” Sparks said. “That’s the first time in at least 10 years that we had two people from the same team make the All-Regional squad.”

Rinker said the NCAA Regional was an indication as to what her team can expect for next year if it keeps on working hard like it has all season.

“We will come back next year and be that much more confident and just move up even more,” Rinker said. “We want to go to nationals down the road, as long as we keep on improving how we have this season.”

Sparks said going to the NCAA National Championship next season could be a definite possibility if this year’s finish at the NCAA Regional is any indication.

Missouri Valley Conference-rival Southwest Missouri State placed just ahead of the women in fifth, and MVC-rival Wichita State placed ninth.

Missouri took the team championship.

Coming into the meet ranked eighth, the men’s team placed 12th out of 21 teams, with the University of Minnesota placing first as a team.

Joe Bryne and Diarmuid Grant were the top two Salukis, placing 40th and 43rd.

Sparks said the men found it difficult to stay focused after tying with Indiana State for the MVC conference championship this year.

“I think winning conference was a goal for them that they had set for themselves all year,” Sparks said. “It was just difficult for them to regain focus and come back and show that they had something to prove.

“They just lost sight of the regional meet after the conference meet.”

Senior Eli Baker, who finished 62nd at the Regional, said the team was not happy with falling short of the team’s goal. Even though the year was successful in winning the conference, the Salukis still wanted to finish the season strong at the NCAA Regional.

Baker said anytime a team builds itself up mentally and puts so much effort into a certain race and then has success when it is over, there is a large weight taken off of the team’s back and it can start to lose focus.

“I think we did that and didn’t direct our attentions where it needed to be,” Baker said. “We lost focus for the Regional the last two weeks and just eased off, and we shouldn’t have.”

With the season ended, Sparks said both teams have made some big steps in the right direction.

“The men established themselves as one of the marquee teams in the conference – and the women are very consistent – being top two in the conference,” Sparks said. “The women are now establishing themselves as a major competitor on the regional level.”

Lone senior Noa Beitler will be the only runner on the women’s team to leave. On the men’s side, Eli Baker and Tony LaChiana will be the only two out of the top seven to leave.

Baker, who still has two more seasons of eligibility in track and field, said he is sad his time in cross country is over, but it will definitely lighten his load of a two-sport student athlete.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Baker said. “I have developed good relationships with the team. But now I can just focus on track.”

Sparks said both teams look to come back strong and hope to prove themselves on a regional and national level.

“We’re starting to be competitive with national-caliber teams, Sparks said. “That’s one of the goals of the programs.”