Newsfeed
Printer-Friendly ModeGLIAC awards Roach again
Senior wins Runner of the Week for second time this season as teams prepare for GLIAC championships
October 17, 2005 —
This Saturday, the SVSU cross country teams are heading to Marquette for the GLIAC Championships.
The men's team is currently ranked second in the region behind first place Grand Valley and ahead of third place Wayne State. Overall, the Cardinals are seventh in the nation.
"We're hoping obviously to be in that top couple," said head coach Jim Nesbitt, referring to the Cardinals' disappointing fourth place finish last season.
This year's team is led by senior Adam Roach, the current GLIAC Player of the Week. Roach, who has now been Player of the Week twice this season, is excited about the challenges facing the team.
"I am really looking forward to seeing how our team matches up with the other teams in the conference," he said.
Nesbitt refers to Roach as their, "number one runner," and he has been just that all year long. Roach has been the Card's leading man since the get go, finishing first for SVSU in every meet this season.
"I have been able to finish first on the team this season by having the motivation to race each week and also doing the training I need to do to get to that level," Roach said.
Nesbitt is also looking forward to what the rest of his team can do this week in the championships.
The remainder of the squad has been interchangeable with members such as Steve Czymbor, Paul Jozwiak, Jerome Recker and Greg Schmidt often rounding out places second through seventh.
"We lost a few of our top runners from last year." Roach said. "But a lot of the guys really stepped it up and filled the spots and we improved from our team from last year."
The women's team is lead by sophomore Becca Rudey, who, like Roach, has also finished first for her team in every race this season.
"Becca is looking to be in the top five in the league for the women," said Nesbitt.
Rudey has attributed her success for this season to hard work over the summer, and not wanting to let her teammates down.
"I ran a lot of miles during the summer, after track season was over, so that I would be in good condition once cross season started," Rudey said. "I knew that my team would be counting on me this year and I didn't want to let them down."
Nesbitt said he feels Grand Valley, Norther Michigan, and Ferris State are the top three schools in the region. He believes his team is somewhere between fourth and fifth, as they have yet to beat number four Hillsdale College.
"We just beat Wayne State, so we're hoping to be in that top five," Nesbit said.
Rudey has stepped up as a young leader on her team, doing her best to lead by example.
"I try to set a good example for the rest of the team during races and run hard, hoping to pull my teammates along," she said. "As a team, I would like to see us improve our place from last year. Our conference is one of the toughest in division II and the course we are running in Marquette will not only be cold, but also very hilly with some tough spots for footing. It will be unlike anything we have run this year, but I am excited to run against some excellent competition and watch our girls rise to the challenge."
Again, like the men's squad, Nesbitt believes second through seventh place will be up for grabs. Jenny Phelan, Nicole Schmidt, and Jessica Sweeney have all been strong competitors for the second spot all season.
This week, the Cardinals are looking to get healthy, by getting some rest and healing some bruises, according to Nesbitt. The Cardinals will leave on Thursday afternoon for the championship meet.
"We're looking forward to a having a good showing," he said, "and hopefully live up to our ratings."