ST. LOUIS -- The 2017-18 season is a landmark one for the Missouri Valley Conference and for women's sports. To help celebrate the 45th anniversary of Title IX and the 25th anniversary of women's sports, the Valley is naming 25-Year Anniversary Teams for each of the Valley's sponsored women's sports. Team composition for each sport has been determined by a 25-person committee (two representatives from each MVC institution and a panel of five voters from the Conference office). The team composition includes years in which league teams competed under the MVC umbrella during the past 25 years (1992-2017) and does not include competition from the current season.
For women's cross country, a total of 25 student-athletes were nominated, and the voting panel determined a 'Top 10' from a list of those 25 finalists as the Sycamores dominated the list of honorees with a league-high three named to the team. Those honored from Indiana State include Debbi Ramseyer (Cronin), Angie Menser (Lansing) and Jessica Crowder (Wayton). All three of these honorees are also members of the Indiana State Athletics Hall of Fame and were coached by legendary track and field/cross country head coach John Gartland.
I was thrilled to learn that Debbi, Angie and Jessica are being included on the MVC Women's Cross Country 25 Year Team," coach Gartland said. "Each of them are very deserving of this honor – all three contributed in a huge way to our success in cross country. I am so happy for each one of them."
Joining the Sycamore trio on the honoree list were: Caitlin Busch (Bradley), Mary Ellen Hill (Bradley), Stacia Beste (Illinois State), Sue Daggett Miller (Illinois State), Casey Owens (Missouri State), Terry Phillips (Missouri State) and Aliphine Tuliamuk Bolton (Wichita State).
Ramseyer (Cronin) is a member of the ISU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2006. She was an outstanding athlete in both cross country and track & field during her career at Indiana State from 1989-1993. In cross country, Ramseyer became the first female and second Sycamore to qualify for the NCAA National Championships in 1992 and she duplicated the feat again in 1993. Additionally she was the first female to represent to qualify for the NCAA Championships under the Missouri Valley Conference umbrella. She was a three-time all-region selection and a two-time academic all-American. She won the conference title in 1990 and 1992 and her second-place finish in 1993 helped the Sycamores win the MVC Championship. On the track, Ramseyer became the first person in league history to win an event four straight years when she won the outdoor 5,000 meters from 1990 to 1993. Overall, she won nine individual conference track titles and assisted ISU to three conference team track and field titles in 1991, 1992 and 1993.
"Debbi was one of my first recruits in the late 1980's," coach Gartland said. "She ended up having a great career that included a combined 11 conference championships between track and cross country. One of her most memorable races was the 1993 MVC Conference Cross Country meet, which was held in the snow at Ankeny, Iowa. She fell twice in the treacherous conditions, yet still was able to get up and finish as the runner-up to teammate Amy Tush. The 1-2 finish led the team to an MVC title that year. She qualified twice for the NCAA Meet, finishing in 70
th place in 1992 at Indiana University and 90
th place at Lehigh University in 1993. Her 17:28 PR at 5,000 meters still ranks fifth on the all-time ISU Best List."
Menser (Lansing) is a member of the 2014 Indiana State Athletics Hall of Fame Class. Menser (Lansing) competed at Indiana State from 1994 to 1998 when she was a five-time Missouri Valley Conference champion in track & field from 1995 to 1998 and earned 11 All-Missouri Valley Conference selections (six indoor and five outdoor). She also received multiple selections to the MVC Track & Field Scholar-Athlete team. She was also a standout in cross country and was named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Centennial Team. She was a two-time All-MVC selection in cross country (1995 and 1996) and named to the All-Region team in 1997 with a 10th place finish at the regional championship. Menser was also a WICCCA Academic All-American in 1996. She has the sixth fastest 5K time in school history of 17:36 set in 1996.
She was a member of the Sycamore distance medley relay team that won the MVC Indoor title in 1994 and 1996 and won then 1998 MVC Indoor mile. She was also a member of the 4 x 800 relay team that won the 1995 MVC Outdoor title with a time of 8:56.35 which still stands as the MVC Championship record. She also won the 1998 MVC Outdoor 1500 meter title. Her name appears several times in the Indiana State track & field record book in indoor mile, outdoor 1500 meters, indoor 1,000 meters and fifth in the indoor 3,000 meters. Menser (Lansing) was also a part of the 4 x 800 meter relay team (along with Tana Dahman, Karen Wamsley, and Kristin Heinichen) that set the school record at 8:48.97 in 1995 and a member of the distance medley relay team (along with Annie Cooper, Julie Harker, and Danelle Leaf) who ran the second fastest time in school history of 11:47.31 in 1998.
Menser (Lansing) currently serves as the Senior Assistant Director of Athletics and Senior Women's Administrator at Indiana State and was the Interim Athletic Director during the first half of 2016. She is the second member of the Menser family to be inducted the Athletics Hall of Fame at Indiana State. Michael Menser, a former men's basketball player at Indiana State, was inducted in 2011.
"Angie, although remembered more for her outstanding career on the track at ISU, was one of our best cross country runners to ever come through the program," coach Gartland recollected. "Perhaps her finest race ever happened when she placed 10
th in the Midwest Regional Meet during her junior season. In a rare occurrence, she did not make the NCAA Meet as an individual, despite the high finish and running 17:51. She led the team to two very close second place conference finishes in MVC competition in 1994 and 1997. She was an All-MVC runner three times in cross country. Additionally, she still holds the sixth best time over 5,000 meters at Indiana State with her 17:36 time from 1996."
The final honoree for the Sycamores is Jessica Crowder (Wayton) who is a member of the 2011 Indiana State Athletics Hall of Fame Class. Crowder (Wayton) competed in cross country and track & field for Indiana State from 2000 to 2005. She was named an All-American after placing 47th at the 2003 NCAA Division I Cross Country National Championships.
The 2003 season was Wayton's best as a Sycamore, claiming the Missouri Valley Conference Individual Championship in cross country, earning All-Region honors with a 16th place finish at the Great Lakes Regional, and earning All-American honors with a 47th place finish at the NCAA Championships.
She established several Indiana State records during the season including running 14:17 in a 4K event that set not only the ISU record but also the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course record. She also set the school record for 5K at 17:09, for 6K at 20:52, and for a 6K at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course of 21:18.
Wayton also earned All-Region honors in 2001 with a 23rd place finish at the Great Lakes Regional. A member of the Missouri Valley Conference All-Centennial Cross Country Team, Wayton also received the MVC Dr. Charlotte West Scholar-Athlete Award in 2005. She was a four-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection in cross country, a three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field selection, and a member of the MVC Scholar-Athlete team. She was also named an Academic All-American by the Women's Intercollegiate Cross Country Coaches Association (WICCCA) three straight years (2001-2003) and was named to the National Collegiate Track Coaches Association All-Academic team in 2005. She finished her collegiate career with a 3.967 grade point average.
The Lewis, Ind., native was also dominant in the distance events during both the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons. She remains the Indiana State record holder in the indoor 3,000 meters (9:47.59), indoor 5,000 meters (16:59.86), and the outdoor 5,000 meters (16:42.89) each set during her final season of competition in 2005.
"Jess had a great career at Indiana State, but her 2003 cross country season was especially magical," coach Gartland remembered. "She had struggled with injuries the year before, so together, we set up a totally different training plan. She ran a very low amount of miles, but everything she did was a quality effort. She exceeded 40 miles in a week only once that fall. In addition to keeping her healthy, the change in training produced great results. She won the MVC title at Ankeny, Iowa, running away from a great field in 17:09. Next came the Great Lakes Regional where Jess ran to 16
th place in 21:18 for 6k, just enough to advance her to the NCAA Meet held at Northern Iowa. Her 2003 season ended with her finishing as the 30
th American finisher in the NCAA Meet - good enough for her to be ISU's first cross country All-American! She still holds cross country school records at 5k and 6k of 17:09 and 20:52, respectively."
The current Indiana State women's cross country team will head to Springfield, Mo., this Saturday, October 28 for the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Championships. The men's 8K will kick things off at 11:30 a.m. (ET), followed by the women's 5K at 12:30 p.m. Both races will be televised live world-wide on The Valley On ESPN3.
