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."
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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."
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Harvest Run Informantion

3^rd ANNUAL HARVEST RUN     5K Run/Walk

Sunday, November 6, 2011

         9:30 a.m. CST

ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE SIUE CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK & FIELD PROGRAMS

RACE WEB SITE: Visit http://iWantRegistered.com for registration and more event information, or contact the SIUE CC/Track and Field coaching staff at (618)650-2828, or email emcalli@siue.edu.

PACKET PICKUP: Race day, Nov. 6, 8:00 A.M. - 9:15 A.M. at the race site.

COURSE: The 5K Run/Walk (3.1 miles) will take place on the beautiful SIUE Cross Country Course.  The spectator-friendly course is 98% grass, 2% gravel/asphalt. It is challenging with rolling terrain.  Recent events hosted include NCAA Division II Regional and Conference Championships, Border Wars Championships, IHSA Regionals and Sectionals.

LOCATION/DIRECTIONS: The course is located on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) on the corner of New Poag Road and N University Drive.  It is approximately a 25-minute drive from downtown St. Louis.  SIUE Campus Map Link. (You can link directly to the cross country course.)

PARKING: Parking will be across the street from the starting field on a large grass lot. Overflow parking will be directed to SIUE campus lots. Parking on the street is prohibited and cars will be towed.

TIMING & RESULTS: Chip timing courtesy of TRXC Timing, LLC.  Results will be posted at www.trxctiming.com and http://iWantRegistered.com

AWARDS: Awards will be given to the first overall male and female.

REGISTRATION FEES:  $20.00 - Early registration through Oct. 21^st

$25.00 - Oct. 22^nd – Nov. 5^th

$30.00 - Race day registration on site from 7:30-9:00 a.m.

T-SHIRTS/POST RACE: Race fees include commemorative t-shirts (guaranteed for all registrants prior to Oct. 21) and light post-race refreshments.

REGISTRATION: Visit http://www.iWantRegistered.com. Race day registration on site from 7:30-9:00 a.m.

CANCELLATIONS/WEATHER: The SIUE Harvest Run will run rain or shine. No refunds. Thank you for your donation to the SIUE Cross Country/Track & Field program.

RESTROOMS: Portable toilets will be available at race site. No running water on site. 

Cross Country Travels to Grand Forks, ND

The SIUE Cross Country team will be heading to North Dakota this weekend for the Ron Pynn Invitational. This is the first time the team has traveled by air for a regular season competition. The   Competition starts at 9.
 On Friday the cross country teams competed in a time trial in front of the rest of the track and field team. The runners showed what they were made of. Coach Mcallister felt that the support of the rest of the team made a big difference in performances. There has not been performances of this caliber since the transition began in 2006.

                After Friday's time trial the team headed to downtown Edwardsville for the welcome back SIUE Block Party. The athletes played various games put on by local vendors and got to know there teammates better. It is always good to get out in the community in support of SIUE and the Athletic Department.

                On Monday the SIUE Athletic Department’s Welcome back picnic took place. Student-Athletes for the Track/XC teams and all the other sports competed in various events such as: best legs, best Biceps and a talent contest. Our own Aftan Noon took the trophy for the best biceps and Campbell Walters won the talent portion playing a lovely rendition of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” with his Violin or as Coach Jackson called it his “Fiddle”. 

Upcoming Events

The SIUE men's and women's Cross Country team will be running a time trial at the SIUE Cross Country Course on Friday August 26 @ 4 pm.
The annual SIUE Welcome back Block Party will also be on Friday August 26th. The Track and Field teams will be in attendance to meet and mingle with the community. The event kicks off at 6 and look for the track and field/ Cross Country teams to be there from 6-8pm.

This morning Coach Stamps and Coach Block worked to free a turkey that was stuck on the inside fence of the track. Check back for the video.
LETS GO COUGARS!!!

SIUE Track and Field Teams Honored

Aug. 12, 2011

USTFCCCA Release
NEW ORLEANS, La. -SIUE men's and women's track and field teams were selected as 2011 Division I All-Academic Teams announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
The Cougars were 1 of 90 men's teams and 164 women's teams to earn the distinction, warranted by having a cumulative team GPA of 3.00 or better.
"We are very proud of the award," said SIUE Head Coach Kareem Jackson. "Our kids work extremely hard in the classroom, and this great distinction proves how hard they are working."
SIUE along with Eastern Illinois and Southeast Missouri were the three teams from the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) to earn the award on the men's side.
The Cougar women were 1 of 5 OVC programs to be honored along with Eastern Illinois, Jacksonville State, Morehead State, and Southeast Missouri.
"We would have never received this honor without the dedication of our academic support staff, especially Jaci (DeClue), Lindsey (Schmidt), Katie (Zingg), and Derrick (Brown)," added Jackson. "This is just a great accomplishment for everybody involved."
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