The Screaming Eagles kicked off their 2010 XC campaign with a trip to Appalachian State University in Boone, NC. After 10 hours on the bus , the team toured the scenic Don Kennedy Trails course on Thursday evening. Friday started with an easy shake-out run from the hotel The team would later take a lunch trip to Subway followed by a campus tour of ASU (special thanks to Andrew Dixon). When 3:15 finally rolled around, the Screaming Eagles boarded the bus and headed back to the Don Kennedy Trails to face Big Ten title contender Ohio State and Division II powerhouse Queens University of Charlotte. Both race fields were small, but quite heavy on talent. The women were up first. After a faster-than-anticipated 5:32 opening mile for our front 5 (5:37 for 6-7), the course headed up a long climb at approximately the mid-race point. Heading toward the hill, the Buckeyes' top 6 had built a sizeable lead over the chase pack headed by 5 Screaming Eagles. Coming off the hill, Jackie Henderson had reeled in 2 Ohio State athletes to move into 5th. The combination of the hot early pace, a large hill at mid-race, 3,333 elevation and warmer than anticipated race conditions exacted a toll as the entire field slowed substantially. By the finish, 4 Screaming Eagles had broken up Ohio State's top 7, with a 5th just behind (the Buckeyes were 2nd in the Great Lakes Region last fall).
The men's race would have been much closer if not for a major mishap in the first 30 meters, when Michael Jordan lost a shoe after having his heel clipped by a teammate. Despite traversing over a mile of gravel in the middle of the race, Michael still managed to finish as the team's 6th man (the good news---his bruises and blisters are healing quickly, and he has resumed full training). The Eagles were lead by All-American Dustin Emerick, followed by NCAA 42nd placer Andrew Dixon, All-American Brendan Devine, 2009 GLVC freshman of the year Michael Callison and freshman upstart Josh Graham. When the scores were tallied, the Screaming Eagles tied Queens for 2nd at 57 points. The teams attempted to break the tie via a grappling match between coaches Mike Hillyard and Scott Simmons. Unfortunately, Simmons thought the match was governed by wrestling rules, while Hillyard was attempting to submit Simmons UFC-style. Although Simmons sustained a knee injury and Hillyard suffered a cut to the chin, the score ultimately remained a tie after both coaches tapped out simultaneously.
On Saturday morning, the team awoke bright and early to travel up the mountain to Moses Cone Park. After 90 minutes to 2 hours of running along mountain horse carriage trails and enjoying incredible vistas, the team reboarded the bus, headed back to the hotel and destroyed some waffles before embarking on the long bus ride back to E-Ville.
Up next for the Screaming Eagles: The Greater Louisville Classic on October 2nd.
This year's Classic will be a true Pre-National meet, as the men's race features 8 of DII's top 12 programs and the women's field will featured 9 of the top 25.
Go Eagles!
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