Basic HTML Version
2013 Cross Country Media Guide
13 MVC Team Championships
12 All-Americans
5
5
2012 Season Review/2013 Preview
As for the Saluki women,
their primary objective will
be to dethrone two-time
defending MVC champion
Illinois State and claim their
first MVC championship since
1992.
“We just need to
keep taking steps forward,
especially on the women’s
side where there’s kind of a
logjam right behind Illinois
State battling for the top spots
with Bradley, Wichita State
and Loyola now -- which are
all similar teams -- so that
one-to-five on the women’s
side can go any direction,”
Sparks said.
“Illinois State looks to be
a heavy favorite, but they’re
not as deep as some of the
other teams; they just have
some really good frontrunners.
We’ve got a lot of depth.”
“We’re trying to
distinguish a few heavy-hitters up front,” Sparks
said. “Sadie (Darnell) would be the natural selection
based upon how she ended the track season being
a national qualifier and school record holder and
all-conference, or if it’s Lacey who finished the cross
country season 32nd at the regional meet. Those
two might be natural selections to be all-conference
types of people for us, but that’s one thing we need
on the women’s side to finish where we want to
finish: two or three women to be all-conference.”
However, beginning in 2013 a new wrinkle
has been added to the fold of the Missouri Valley
that is sure to affect both Saluki squads: the Loyola
University Ramblers. The Ramblers’ highly-talented
distance program had been a force in the Summit
League in both cross country and track, and they
are sure to be contenders coming into the Valley in
2013.
“(Loyola)’s the question I’ve had on my mind
since hearing that they were joining the league.
They put a lot of emphasis in their distance program
as far as track and cross country go. And on the
men’s side especially, they’ve
been the team at the regional
championship that finished
right behind us the last two
years.”
Loyola head coach
Randy Hasenbank is no
stranger to the Valley, as he
had coached and competed at
Wichita State previously.
“(Hasenbank) has a
very good understanding of
the Valley and what it takes to
be successful. Obviously they
are newcomers, but in a lot of
ways their coach has a better
grasp of the conference than a
lot of people do.”
“(Hasenbank)’s going to
have them ready to go, so we
look at them similar to how
we do Indiana State. We know
they’re gonna be there and be
ready so on the men’s side we
just have to keep an eye on
another team that’s out there.”
“On the women’s side, (Loyola) is one of those
five (Valley) teams we’re looking at. Their women
are young. They lost one of the better girls in the
country from last year (Gina Valgoi), but they have
several really good freshmen coming in as well.”
“Once again, there’s just a lot of question
marks with them. But their coach has a good
understanding of the conference and what it takes
to win because that’s what he did when he was at
Wichita, and I know he’ll be ready when it’s time to
race.”
Coach Sparks has high expectations for both
teams going into 2013.
“For the men, we have the talent to really take
a shot at the national stage and maybe going to
nationals as a team this year.”
“On the women’s side, this is probably the
deepest team I’ve had since I’ve been here. The
Valley meet will be hard because there’s so much
talent, but our goal is to get back to second place
for the first time in six years and improve our finish
at the regional meet.”