SIUE Women Finish Cross Country Challenge Noon Leads Cougars at Home

Sept. 16, 2011

Complete Results |  Photo Gallery 

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Senior Aftan Noon used a sixth-place finish to lead the SIUE women's cross country team at its only home meet of the season -- the SIUE Cross Country Challenge Friday night.
"I thought the atmosphere was great today," said SIUE Head Coach Eileen McAllister. "It was good weather and everyone was out cheering and yelling."
The Cougars finished the meet with a 2-3 record in dual scoring topping Washington University in St. Louis (23-32) and McKendree (16-47) but fell to Ohio Valley Conference foes Murray State (33-23) and SEMO (36-19) as well as a tight one with Western Illinois (28-27).
Noon navigated the 5,000-meter course in a time of 19 minutes, 24.92 seconds despite not having her best race.
"Aftan stuck to a strategy so she was a little off her time," said McAllister. "She stuck to a strategy we wanted to work out for this race."
Making the most prolific jump into the lineup for the Cougars was Dede Lofton. The Cougar sophomore competed for the first time in an SIUE uniform and turned in an 11th-place finish in a time of 19:39.15.
"We had an outstanding performance by Dede," added McAllister. "She had been working that way in practice, and I told her she could be in our top five."
Sophomore Claire Brown continued her stellar start to the 2011 campaign posting a personal-best time of 19:40.25 to finish 12th while shaving more than 10 seconds off her time from the season opener.
Ioana Citireag placed 21st in a time of 19:58.96 while freshman Ellen Goins ran the course in 20:16.72 to finish 26th.
A trio of SIUE runners finished as a group led by Hannah Lee in 33rd with a time of 20:43.93 followed by Katie Trettenero(20:49.31) and Renee Goodenough (20:54.17) in 35th and 36th, respectively.
Sophomore Megan Petty finished 43rd overall in a time of 21:36.79 and freshman Lacey Hainline made her SIUE debut and finished the 5k in 25:19.68 to place 53rd.
The Cougars will return to action Oct. 1 in Louisville, Ky., at the Greater Louisville Classic.
-siue cougars-

Cougars Travel in a Pack at Home

Sept. 16, 2011 Complete Results |  Photo Gallery  EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The SIUE men's cross country team stuck to its plan of running in a pack as it had five runners finish in the top seven Friday night at the SIUE Cross Country Challenge. "The guys looked amazing," said SIUE Head Coach Eileen McAllister. "They did exactly what they were supposed to do. They packed up, ran together, and fed off each other's energy." Led by senior Marc Amarillas' time of 26 minutes, 11.16 seconds, in the 8,000-meter event, the Cougars defeated all four of its opponents in the dual scoring format of the meet. SIUE topped Ohio Valley Conference foe SEMO (16-39), Western Illinois (20-38), Washington University in St. Louis (15-41), and McKendree (15-49). "I thought all of the teams matched up pretty well as far as just having a great meet," added McAllister. Junior Aaron Werths earned a third-place finish with a personal-best time of 26:17.86 while senior Shawn Dillardfollowed right behind his teammate in fourth place in 26:23.63. Sophomore Campbell Walters provided some excitement at the finish line as he narrowly edged Nate Shipley of SEMO by .02 seconds for fifth place overall. Walters crossed the finish line in 26:24.77 setting a personal best in the process. Right on the heels of the main pack was Nick Moore. The Cougar freshman, who led SIUE in its season opener, finished seventh overall in a time of 26:29.42. Sophomore J.D. Wynn also recorded a personal record as he placed 21st overall traversing the 8K in 27:29.21 while junior Frankie Sottosanto made his debut for the Cougars finishing 42nd with a time of 29:08.11. Junior Marc Presley also ran for SIUE placing 45th in a time of 31:06.24. "We had PRs but more importantly team-wise, we did an outstanding job," said McAllister. The Cougars next compete in Louisville, Ky., at the Greater Louisville Classic on Oct. 1. -siue cougars-

SIUE Men's Cross Country Poised for Success in 2011 Cougars Start Saturday in North Dakota

Sept. 2, 2011

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The SIUE men's cross country team, under the direction of third-year Head Coach Eileen McAllister, is poised for a successful 2011 season with the return of six experienced runners and one talented newcomer.
"The team's confidence is already much higher than it was last year based on practices and time trials," said McAllister. "The guys look more fit and stronger at this point in the year."
Senior Marc Amarillas will be asked to provide leadership both on and off the course. The Quincy native led the Cougars at the final three meets of 2010.
"Marc is definitely a lead-by-example runner but will be vocal when he needs to be," said McAllister. "He is calm under pressure and still gets excited for races. He is just not one to get nervous. Marc guides the team by sticking to our plan during the race, and the guys know they can look to him for help with their pacing."
Shawn Dillard (Granite City), the only other senior on the Cougar roster, will provide added depth for SIUE with the help of junior Marc Presley (Cleveland, Ohio).
"The team's overall experience will allow a smoother progression throughout the year in terms of personal bests having previously run at most of the courses," added McAllister.
Junior Aaron Werths (Granite City) led SIUE at the first three meets of 2010 and looks to be in great position to continue the trend in 2011.
"Aaron led the team at the time trial," said McAllister. "He and Marc have gone back and forth through the preseason workouts. Aaron is definitely fit and put in the miles over the summer to raise his confidence level."
Sophomore Campbell Walters (Mt. Vernon) returns to the Cougar squad after competing well in 2010.
"Campbell improved a lot in the offseason," added McAllister. "He is great at leaving it all on the course and pushing past that mental point."
Another runner returning to SIUE is sophomore J.D. Wynn (Peoria) who finished all six races last season.
"J.D. will be a key runner as the sixth man on the team, and he is in a position to step up," said McAllister.
Nick Moore (Springfield) is the lone addition to the SIUE team after running for SIUE alum Trae Cotner at Springfield High School.
"Nick is doing really well during preseason," added McAllister. "It will take him some time to adjust to the 8,000-meter races, but he will be fine with the support of the team around him. He is ready to make an impact."
The Cougars begin the season Saturday with a 900-mile trip to Grand Forks, N.D., for the UND Ron Pynn Invitational. The meet is set for double dual scoring featuring SIUE, North Dakota, and South Dakota State. Coach McAllister hopes the small field will help SIUE get a feel for where they are in the race.
"The team is very excited and chomping at the bit because workouts have been going so well and they are feeling confident," concluded McAllister. "The trip itself is something new and different. The kids are excited to race."
-siue cougars-

Youthful Women's Cross Country to Build on Experience SIUE to Open Season in North Dakota

Sept. 2, 2011

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -The SIUE women's cross country team, which returns all of its runners from a year ago, will look to build upon that year of experience for the 2011 campaign.
Aftan Noon (Forsyth) will lead the charge for the Cougars in her senior season. Noon was the top SIUE performer in all six meets last season including a personal best at the SIUE Cross Country Open.
"Aftan is definitely the front runner, but Ioana Citireag has been right up there with her," said third-year Head Coach Eileen McAllister. "Ioana adds a veteran element even though she is new to the program."
Citireag (Bihor, Romania) transfers to SIUE from fellow Ohio Valley Conference member Jacksonville State.
The next trio of runners has all been acclimated to the collegiate environment following their first full season of competition.
Claire Brown (Petersburg) and Hannah Lee (Jacksonville) made big strides during the offseason to be ready for the rigorous preseason training.
"You can tell that Claire trained hard over the summer," said McAllister. "She is in great shape. Hannah also trained well over the summer and is a lot more confident in her running."
The third runner, sophomore Emily Conlon (Ballwin, Mo.), hopes to make an impact for the Cougars after suffering a stress fracture during the track and field season.
"Emily looks solid coming back from her injury," added McAllister. "She is not cleared for full participation but we expect her back soon."
Transfer Kala Griffin brings a year of collegiate experience after spending her freshman season at UIC. "Kala has seen college competition and is used to this higher-level training," said McAllister. "She is not afraid of getting the mileage in."
Ellen Goins, a freshman from Germantown Hills, starts the year in the top seven for SIUE.
Katie Trettenero (Staunton), another freshman high on Coach McAllister's list, may be on the outside of the top seven but has the potential to get in the lineup.
"Katie has an incredible attitude," added McAllister. "Coming from a small program she did not have the training, but she is so enthusiastic and is willing to do anything that she can to get better in order to get into the top seven."
Also competing for the Cougars in 2011 are Elisha Crawley (Decatur), Renee Goodenough (St. Louis, Mo.), Lacey Hainline (Sherrard), Dede Lofton (Detroit, Mich.), and Megan Petty (Coal City). Each of these runners will create healthy competition for the team, according to Coach McAllister.
"The team's chemistry and what they provide for each other in training is so much different than last year," said McAllister. "We just don't have those big gaps between runners, and that allows us to have training partners for everybody."
The Cougars begin the season Saturday with a 900-mile trip to Grand Forks, N.D., for the UND Ron Pynn Invitational. The meet is set for double dual scoring featuring SIUE, North Dakota, and South Dakota State. Coach McAllister hopes the small field will help SIUE get a feel for where they are in the race.
"The team is very excited and chomping at the bit because workouts have been going so well and they are feeling confident," concluded McAllister. "The trip itself is something new and different. The kids are excited to race."
-siue cougars-