Oct 21, 2008

Lakers to host elite field during Saturday's GLIAC Championships

SAULT STE. MARIE - The last time Lake Superior State was the host team for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships, LSSU coach Steve Eles was a high school senior.

"All of our athletes are really excited about this," said Eles, who also coaches the LSSU indoor and outdoor track and field teams, encompassing about 70 athletes. "This only comes around once every 12 years. We have no outdoor track and we can't host the indoor track championships because we don't have a long jump pit. This is the only GLIAC championship they will ever see at home in their careers here. Our alumni are really excited that Lake Superior State has a chance to showcase this event."

The GLIAC Cross Country Championships will include a 6K women's race at 11 a.m., followed by an 8K men's race at approximately 11:45 a.m. Saturday at Tanglewood Marsh Golf Course. Awards will be presented at 1 p.m. Admission to the event is $10 per carload for spectators wanting to take advantage of the limited parking at the golf course. Overflow parking is available at nearby Sherman Park for $2 per carload.

The GLIAC and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference are regarded as NCAA Division II Cross Country powerhouses, so an abundance of great talent will be competing on the Tanglewood Marsh course.

Defending men's and women's champion Grand Valley State is ranked in both national polls. The GVSU men are ranked 10^th, while Ashland is 16^th. The GVSU women are ranked second, followed by No. 11 Findlay and No. 18 Wayne State. Six GLIAC men's and women's teams are ranked among the top 10 in the Midwest Region.

Juniors Katie Scott and Stacy Leyder, and freshman Kayla Nowak have been top-three runners for the LSSU women's team through the season. Scott, who has won three events in 2008, has her sights set on a top seven GLIAC finish.

"Katie has a lot of experience in high-level meets," Eles said. "She tends to do very well the bigger the meet gets. She'll run that much harder. She is trying to get to the national meet and needs to find out where she fits in."

Scott, a two-time academic all-American in cross country, placed ninth at the 2006 and 2007 GLIAC Championships and earned All-GLIAC Second Team honors. Clear favorites in 2008 are Wayne State's Rachelle Malette, who finished third in the nation last year, and Findlay freshman Hilary Esselstein.

"Places three through seven are wide open," Eles said. "A third-place finish for Katie would be a fantastic day, equivalent to an all-America effort."

Eles expects as many as five of the top seven finishers on the LSSU men's team to be freshmen. The Lakers have been led throughout the season by senior Luke Allen, who was 60^th at last year's GLIAC Championship.

"Our guys are so young, but the freshmen seem to get better every week," Eles said. "There is a lot of internal competition. I'm not sure who will be in our top seven."

LSSU has competed in only four meets this season, and three have been held in the Upper Peninsula. Two weeks ago, the Lakers competed in the Roy Griak Invitational, the nation's largest cross country meet hosted by the University of Minnesota.

"We haven't traveled a whole lot, so we should be well-rested," Eles said. "We should be in pretty good shape. I know we had a great workout this morning."

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Cross Country Women's Tennis Women's Volleyball Ice Hockey Men's Basketball Track & Field Women's Basketball Men's Tennis Softball Track & Field Athletic Training Staff Directory Lakers in the Pros Facilities Boosters SAAC Tickets Traditions Student Athlete Handbook Forms	Oct 21, 2008 Lakers to host elite field during Saturday's GLIAC Championships SAULT STE. MARIE - The last time Lake Superior State was the host team for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships, LSSU coach Steve Eles was a high school senior. "All of our athletes are really excited about this," said Eles, who also coaches the LSSU indoor and outdoor track and field teams, encompassing about 70 athletes. "This only comes around once every 12 years. We have no outdoor track and we can't host the indoor track championships because we don't have a long jump pit. This is the only GLIAC championship they will ever see at home in their careers here. Our alumni are really excited that Lake Superior State has a chance to showcase this event." The GLIAC Cross Country Championships will include a 6K women's race at 11 a.m., followed by an 8K men's race at approximately 11:45 a.m. Saturday at Tanglewood Marsh Golf Course. Awards will be presented at 1 p.m. Admission to the event is $10 per carload for spectators wanting to take advantage of the limited parking at the golf course. Overflow parking is available at nearby Sherman Park for $2 per carload. The GLIAC and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference are regarded as NCAA Division II Cross Country powerhouses, so an abundance of great talent will be competing on the Tanglewood Marsh course. Defending men's and women's champion Grand Valley State is ranked in both national polls. The GVSU men are ranked 10^th, while Ashland is 16^th. The GVSU women are ranked second, followed by No. 11 Findlay and No. 18 Wayne State. Six GLIAC men's and women's teams are ranked among the top 10 in the Midwest Region. Juniors Katie Scott and Stacy Leyder, and freshman Kayla Nowak have been top-three runners for the LSSU women's team through the season. Scott, who has won three events in 2008, has her sights set on a top seven GLIAC finish. "Katie has a lot of experience in high-level meets," Eles said. "She tends to do very well the bigger the meet gets. She'll run that much harder. She is trying to get to the national meet and needs to find out where she fits in." Scott, a two-time academic all-American in cross country, placed ninth at the 2006 and 2007 GLIAC Championships and earned All-GLIAC Second Team honors. Clear favorites in 2008 are Wayne State's Rachelle Malette, who finished third in the nation last year, and Findlay freshman Hilary Esselstein. "Places three through seven are wide open," Eles said. "A third-place finish for Katie would be a fantastic day, equivalent to an all-America effort." Eles expects as many as five of the top seven finishers on the LSSU men's team to be freshmen. The Lakers have been led throughout the season by senior Luke Allen, who was 60^th at last year's GLIAC Championship. "Our guys are so young, but the freshmen seem to get better every week," Eles said. "There is a lot of internal competition. I'm not sure who will be in our top seven." LSSU has competed in only four meets this season, and three have been held in the Upper Peninsula. Two weeks ago, the Lakers competed in the Roy Griak Invitational, the nation's largest cross country meet hosted by the University of Minnesota. "We haven't traveled a whole lot, so we should be well-rested," Eles said. "We should be in pretty good shape. I know we had a great workout this morning."