KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
EVANSVILLE, IND. ? Indiana State sophomore Albaro Escalera took the lead midway through the men's 6K race and dominated the final 2,000 meters to take first place and lead the Sycamore men to victory at the Evansville Mid-America Opener Saturday morning in Evansville.
“Al made a really strong move between the 2K and 4K marks,” John McNichols, head coach of the men's cross country team said. “He looked very impressive and won by almost 10 seconds. This was a very good start for Al and it is a result of the hard training that he has been doing.”
The Sycamores took the team title with 22 points followed by Louisville with 39, Evansville with 71, and Kentucky Wesleyan with 115.
Escalera completed the 6K course in 17:23.34 and led five Sycamores into the top 10. Michael Disher finished third overall in 17:42.92 with Dustin Betz fourth in 17:45.97, Andrew Lepkowski sixth in 17:54.06, and Jeremiah Vaughan eighth in 17:55.74. Craig Padgett came through with a 12th place finish in 18:05.09 while Brandon Query was 13th in 18:21.20.
“This was a very good early season race for us,” McNichols said. “I believe it is an early indicator of just what this team can be as the season progresses. We will see the rest of the team at the Sycamore Pride next Friday and then get ready for a very competitive Indiana Intercollegiates the week after at Purdue.”
The Indiana State women finished third with 52 points but were without the services of Allison Malone who was held out of the race due to a sore knee. The Sycamores also lost Kelsie Slater midway through the race after she stepped in a hole and twisted an ankle.
“We didn't get done here what we wanted to,” John Gartland, Indiana State women's coach said. “The five that finished did run very well and I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks to see the others run at the Sycamore Pride and at the Indiana Intercollegiates.”
Kacie Klem led the Sycamore effort as she finished the 4K race in second with a time of 14:33.74. Kylee Thacker also finished in the top 10, coming in ninth with a time of 15:46.64. Ashley Name was 12th in 15:50.94, Bethany Scruton 13th in 15:42.67, and Andrea Prusz was 16th in 16:06.18.
The Sycamores will host the Sycamore Pride next Friday starting at 3:30 p.m. the race will be held at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center.
