2008 Schedule

Head coach Don Walters’ relatively young, but experienced pack of cross country runners have descended upon the University of Evansville campus, with their sights set on working their way up the always-tough Missouri Valley Conference standings.

After a day of fun and camaraderie on the Blue River on Thursday, the 2008 cross country teams returned to campus on Friday to begin work towards the season-opening Mid-America Opener just eight days away.  This year, 20 male runners and 15 female runners will hit the trail for UE.  Of those, only four are seniors, however, 24 letterwinners total return this fall from last year’s squad.

On the women’s side, Evansville will turn to junior Arrena Svoboda and sophomore Melissa Truex to lead a young and talented squad.  Svoboda is expected to vie for UE’s lead spot this year, after racing third for UE behind 2007 co-Most Valuable Runners Andrea Sonnenschein and Andrea Hoy last year.  She posted four top 25 individual finishes last year, including a sixth-place finish at the Tennessee Tech Invitational.

Truex, meanwhile, earned UE’s Most Outstanding Female Freshman Award last year after racing among UE’s scoring pack for much of the season, including finishing second on the team at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships.

Seniors Franny Enzler, Katie Bowlds and Megan Bowlds should also push for time among UE’s top seven this year, while junior Courtney Heller should be in the mix as well.  Juniors Kimberly Libertino and Katelyn Sandy will help provide leadership to Walters’ women’s team this fall, while sophomore Jaclyn Dippel is hoping to return to form after suffering a back injury during the spring.  The nine returning runners will be joined by six talented freshmen, who could push for time in UE’s scoring pack before the year is up.

UE’s youthful experience is shown best in the 2008 men’s team, as the squad features just one senior, however, the Purple Aces return their top 10 runners from a year ago.  Leading UE’s returning pack from a year ago are 2007 team Most Valuable Runner, Greg Pulscher, and 2007 Most Outstanding Male Freshman, Ryan Witters.

Pulscher, a junior from Colorado Springs, Colorado, paced the Purple Aces in all eight meets a year ago, while posting seven top 25 individual finishes.  Witters, an Evansville native, meanwhile posted four top 15 individual finishes in his initial year at UE.

Juniors Brian Joyce and Ethan Merkel and sophomore Brian Denny also return from UE’s top five, while junior Steven Matthews and sophomore Adam Gilbert also competed in all eight meets for UE.  The young squad will turn to senior Andrew Kunz for veteran leadership, as Kunz is the only four-year member of this year’s men’s squad.  Juniors Ryan Grieco and Michael Romine will also help provide upperclassmen leadership, while redshirt sophomores Nicholas Tyree and Matthew Kaufman and true sophomores Max Cordier, Collin Jamieson, and Kevin Todd will try to help five newcomers acclimate to Division I cross country.

The 2008 schedule will once again feature a pair of home meets, as UE will host the fifth-annual Mid-America Opener on Saturday, August 30 (10 a.m.) and the seventh-annual UE Invitational on Saturday, October 18 (11 a.m.) at the UE Cross Country Course.  Evansville will also lock horns with some of the best competition in the Midwest and Mid-South during the regular-season, before heading to Springfield, Missouri to take part in the State Farm MVC Championships on Saturday, November 1.  UE will wrap up the 2008 season two weeks later by taking part in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships in West Lafayette, Indiana on Saturday, November 15.