The Warm-Up Lap: Division II Conference Championships
The Warm-Up Lap: Division II Conference Championships
The Warm-Up Lap: Division II Conference Championships
By Kyle Terwillegar, USTFCCCA
October 24, 2013
RANKED TEAMS PER CONFERENCEMen
Women
|
NEW ORLEANS – It seems like just yesterday the cross country season kicked off, and now the collegiate championship season is about to get underway.
Division II Conference Championships Central
Division II is set to host its conference championships — except for the PacWest, which will hold its meet next weekend — marking the official beginning to the most important part of the season. Divisions I and III will follow next weekend with their own league meets.
In the meantime it’s DII’s chance to shine, with premiere match-ups in many of the 23 meets this weekend. A number of meets have national significance, as seven different men’s conference meets and seven more women’s races will feature two or more ranked teams.
The RMAC leads the way in both ranked team representation and top-flight matchups with five top-25 men’s teams and four women’s teams — including defending national men’s champion No. 1 Adams State among six other top-10 teams.
The PSAC and the GLIAC are also both well-represented in the top-25 with four women’s teams and three men’s teams each. A full breakdown can be found in the chart to the right.
With the other two divisions largely inactive with their own conference championships next weekend, Division II has The Warm-Up Lap all to itself. Read on for previews for the top conference meets this weekend.
But first, the headlines of the week that was:
RMAC Championships
Saturday, October 26 | Meet Homepage
RANKED TEAMS
|
| 1. Adams State* |
| 2. Western State |
| 4. Colorado Mines |
| 16. Metro State |
| 20. New Mexico Highlands |
Ranked Women’s Teams
| 2. Adams State* |
| 3. Western State |
| 8. Metro State |
| 10. UC-Colorado Springs |
*Defending Champions
As has become customary for the top teams in the RMAC, this weekend’s conference meet is just the first in a series of duels over the course of the next few weeks that will culminate in a final showdown at the National Championships in Spokane, Wash., on November 23.
Three of the top four men’s teams in the nation — five from the top-25 in total — and four of the top 10 women’s squads suiting up for RMAC supremacy this weekend, and then Regionals in two weeks and then likely the National Championships two weeks thereafter. By the end of November, the top teams from this conference will be so used to running with one another that they’ll almost feel like running partners.
In the men’s race, No. 1 Adams State has won seven of the past eight RMAC titles, all but a three-point runner-up finish to Western State in 2011. Led by Roy Griak Gold Division I race runner-up Kevin Batt and third-place Tabor Stevens — the defending RMAC Champion — the Grizzlies finished fourth in a field with nearly two-dozen Division I squads, without Matt Daniels, who finished fourth at the NCAA Championships last year.
If the streak is to continue, the Grizzlies will have to get past No. 2 Western State, the only other team to win an RMAC and National title during the Grizzlies recent success — and the owner of the final first-place vote this year. The Mountaineers have competed sparingly this season, with their highlight coming at the Colorado Rocky Mountain Shootout where they finished strong against current No. 1 Colorado of Division I.
Vegard Olstad has been the top finisher in both of his meets this season, finishing third at Colorado.
Rounding out the top contenders is No. 4 Colorado Mines, the runners-up at last year’s NCAA Championships. The Orediggers’ signature performance this season was at Stanford, where they were the top non-Division I program ahead of now No. 5 Chico State.
Also vying for the championship are No. 16 Metro State and No. 20 New Mexico Highlands.
Just as in the men’s competition, Adams State is the defending conference champion and the top-ranked team in the field at No. 2. And just like the men, the Grizzlies will have to contend with Western State, just one spot back in the rankings at No. 3 — making for another national championship preview.
Unlike the men, however, the women have two other top-10 programs breathing down their necks in No. 8 Metro State and No. 10 UC-Colorado Springs.
The Grizzlies finished 11th at the Roy Griak Invitational in the Division I race, led by top finisher Kelly Lamb in 39th overall and Lauren martin in 49th.
Western State’s women were the top non-DI program at Colorado, led by seventh-place overall finisher Tara Richardson in third place among two other top-10 finishers.
Upstart Metro State is looking for its first conference title. The Roadrunners have won each of their past two competitions at the Colorado College Invitational and the Metro State Invitational, led by former National Athlete of the Week Janelle Lincks both times as the top collegiate finisher.
No. 10 UC-Colorado Springs is also going for the title, having finished fourth at the Erik Anderson Invitational and runner-up to Metro State at Metro State earlier this season.
GLIAC Championships
Saturday, October 26 | Meet Homepage | Live Video Stream ($10)
RANKED TEAMS
|
| 3. Grand Valley State* |
| 15. Malone |
| 22. Ashland |
Ranked Women’s Teams
| 1. Grand Valley State* |
| 12. Malone |
| 14. Hillsdale |
| 20. Northern Michigan |
*Defending Champions
Defending women’s national and GLIAC team champion Grand Valley State is up against a field of three other top-25 squads who are looking to derail the Lakers’ streak of 12 consecutive GLIAC titles — which is the longest active streak by a Division II women’s team and the only streak of 10 or more.
Jessica Janecke has led the way for the Lakers in their last two races against mostly-Division I competition. The sophomore finished 29th in leading GVSU to a ninth-place finish in the Division I race at Roy Griak, and she placed fifth in the Notre Dame Gold race to pace the Lakers to a runner-up team finish. Also running well for the Lakers is Allyson Winchester, the defending GLIAC and Midwest Region Champion.
A trio of top-20 teams will aim to snap GVSU’s stranglehold on the GLIAC, led by former National Athlete of the Week Tina Oprean and No. 12 Malone in their first full season of Division II competition. No. 14 Hillsdale and No. 20 Northern Michigan will also give chase.
The No. 3 Grand Valley men have been similarly dominant in the GLIAC of late, having claimed 11 consecutive titles. An unofficial early-season victory over then-No. 30 Michigan State of Division I was the start of a strong 2013 campaign against DI competition that includes a 12th-place showing at the Roy Griak DI race and a team title in the Gold race at the Notre Dame Invitational. Junior Alan Peterson has spearheaded the Lakers in all three of those races.
No. 15 Malone and No. 22 Ashland are the other ranked teams gunning for the team title.
PSAC Championships
Saturday, October 26 | Meet Homepage
RANKED TEAMS
|
| 9. Edinboro* |
| 13. Lock Haven |
| 18. Shippensburg |
Ranked Women’s Teams
| 9. Edinboro |
| 13. Shippensburg* |
| 18. Indiana (Pa.) |
| 24. Seton Hill |
*Defending Champions
The women of Shippensburg holding the PSAC Championship trophy at year’s end has become a common sight in recent times, as the Raiders have claimed each of the past five conference titles. But for the 2013 Raiders, ranked No. 13 nationally, an up-and-down season in the rankings and strong seasons by conference rivals have cast some uncertainty over the prospect of a sixth-straight title.
The preseason No. 6, Shippensburg fell all the way out of the rankings early in the season before working back up to No. 13 last week. A strong runner-up showing in the Paul Short Invitational Brown race went a long way toward rebuilding the Raiders’ national stock, led by a pair of freshmen in Casey Norton (12th) and Allison Marella (24th).
Though the Raiders have climbed back toward the top of the rankings, they’ve yet to pass the top-ranked team from the conference: No. 9 Edinboro. The Fighting Scots were the top Division II squad ahead of then-top-10 Southern Indiana in the Gold Race at the Greater Louisville Classic. Senior Sarah Krolick was the team’s top finisher in 16th overall among Division I runners in that race, leading three top-100 finishers.
Other ranked teams hoping to break Shippensburg’s hold on recent history include No. 18 Indiana (Pa.) and No. 24 Seton Hill.
Edinboro’s men are the defending champions and the favorites, ranked No. 9 in the national polls just like their female teammates. The Fighting Scot men turned in a very strong second-place showing among DII teams at Louisville with all five scoring runners placing within the top 100, led by senior Bryan Deibel in 47th.
No. 13 Lock Haven is bolstered by one of the top individuals in the nation in senior Alex Monroe, the two-time defending conference champ who finished fifth at NCAAs a year ago. He has either won or finished runner-up in three races this season as the Eagles won the Kutztown DII &DIII Challenge and its home invitational. They also took 19th at the Paul Short Invitational as the second-best non-DI team.
No. 18 Shippensburg rounds out the ranked teams in the field.
GNAC Championships
Saturday, October 26 | Meet Homepage
RANKED TEAMS
|
| 8. Alaska Anchorage* |
| 22. Western Washington |
Ranked Women’s Teams
| 5. Alaska Anchorage* |
| 6. Simon Fraser |
*Defending Champions
Both the men’s and women’s races at the GNAC Championships will feature two ranked teams, but the headliner is the women’s competition between four-time defending conference champion No. 5 Alaska Anchorage and No. 6 Simon Fraser.
After a pair of dominant early-season meets, the Seawolves of Alaska Anchorage have been largely idle from competition. A trip to Hawaii in late August/early September produced two perfect team scores in two meets, led both times by 2012 NCAA runner-up and defending GNAC champion Susan Tanui, the country’s top returning individual from the 2012 NCAA Championships.
In just two seasons in the GNAC, Simon Fraser has finished seventh and sixth at the conference championships. This year the Clan will be challenging for the title. Lindsey Butterworth led SFU to a narrow loss against No. 7 Chico State at the Stanford Invitational earlier this season, 51-61, one week after finishing runner-up to Division I Lipscomb at the Erik Anderson Invitational, again led by Butterworth in fifth place.
On the men’s side, Dylan Anthony leads No. 8 Alaska Anchorage as it goes for a fourth-straight GNAC title. The junior has claimed the individual title in each of his three races so far this season, leading the Seawolves to team titles each time.
Providing the challenge to UAA will be No. 22 Western Washington.
NSIC Championships
Saturday, October 26 | Meet Homepage
RANKED TEAMS
|
| 6. Augustana (S.D.)* |
| 24. Sioux Falls |
Ranked Women’s Teams
| 4. Augustana (S.D.)* |
| 15. Minnesota Duluth |
| 18. U-Mary |
*Defending Champions
Augustana (S.D.)’s men and women are the favorites in the conference, as the No. 4 women are the five-time defending champion and the No. 6 men are going for their fifth in a row.
The Viking women dominated the Maroon II race at the Roy Griak Invitational, winning the title behind two-time National Athlete of the Week Runa Falch. Falch claimed two consecutive NSIC titles in 2010 and 2011.
Challenging the Vikings in the women’s race are a pair of top-20 teams in No. 15 Minnesota Duluth and No. 18 U-Mary, which finished runner-up and fifth at Griak, respectively. Former National Athlete of the Week Jennifer Agnew will be among those taking on Falch for the title.
On the men’s side, the Vikings made quick work of the Maroon II field at the Griak, winning with 54 points and nearly doubling runner-up UW-La Crosse. Two-time defending NSIC champ Paul Yak and Adam Braun finished second and third overall in that race, and turned in similarly strong performances against Arkansas at the Chile Pepper Festival.
No. 24 Sioux Falls is the top-ranked challenger to Augustana.
Conference Championships Notes
The longest active streak of Division II conference championships in the nation belongs with Mars Hill, which has claimed 16 consecutive South Atlantic Conference.
No. 5 Chico State’s men in the CIAA and No. 3 Grand Valley State in the GLIAC have both claimed 11 titles in a row in their respective conferences. No. 7 Southern Indiana has the next-longest streak of titles with seven straight in the GLVC.
No. 1 Grand Valley State’s women hold the longest streak among DII women’s teams with 12 GLIAC titles. The next-closest streak is No. 23 Tampa of the Sunshine State Conference with six in a row.
Five teams are maintaining five-year winning streaks in their respective conferences: No. 3 Augustana (S.D.) (NSIC); No. 7 Chico State (CCAA); No. 13 Shippensburg (PSAC); Dallas Baptist (Heartland); Philadelphia (CACC).
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