January 8, 2009
2009 Season - 2008 WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY REVIEW
Ellen Adams wins MVP honor for women’s cross country team
Junior Ellen Adams (Glenbard West HS, Glen Ellyn, Ill.) was the unquestioned leader of the 2008 Augustana women’s cross country team. She had enjoyed two solid years heading into the 2008 season but she really took her spot at the top this past year. A two year letterwinner and a former Most Valuable Freshman in 2006, Adams was outstanding from start to finish in 2008.
Adams, one of two captains for veteran head coach Fred Whiteside’s team this past year, enjoyed a tremendous season.
Augustana ran in nine meets during the 2008 season and Adams was the first Viking across the finish line in all nine of those competitions. She finished fourth in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin championship on November 1 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She also won the Augustana Open on August 29 and the Coe dual meet on September 6. She placed 12th in the 27 team Brissman/Lundeen Invitational on September 27, was 16th at the Northern Illinois Invitational on September 13 and finished 34th at the Illinois Intercollegiate meet on September 19.
Adams had been the team’s Most Valuable Freshman in the 2006 season and she was awarded her third varsity letter this past year.
She finished her fine season with a 19th place individual finish at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional to lead the Vikings. Adams, who had been Augustana’s top runner throughout the 2008 season, came through in a big way once again as she covered the 6,000 meter layout at Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island in 22:39.9.
The Most Improved Runner honor was shared by three athletes: junior Paige Deike (Leroy HS, Leroy, Ill.) and sophomores Hannah Schneider (Downers Grove North HS, Downers Grove, Ill.) and Amy Walsh (Cary Grove HS, Cary, Ill.).
The Viking award went to junior Jillian Rigert (St. Charles North HS, St. Charles, Ill.) and the Most Valuable Freshman citation was won by Sarah Johnson (Grayslake North HS, Lake Villa, Ill.). Rigert had shared the Most Valuable Freshman honor back in 2006 with Adams.
The team captains for 2009 will be Adams, Krystal Damiano (Cary Grove HS, Cary, Ill.) and Samantha Laskowski (Reavis HS, Oak Lawn, Ill.). All three will be seniors next year.
Once again the Vikings had an ambitious schedule, running in a total of nine meets. Included in that schedule were two meets (Northern Illinois Invitational and Illinois Intercollegiate Championship) where the competition was mostly of the NCAA Division I variety. The Wisconsin-Parkside Invitational was loaded with NCAA Division II schools and the Tori Neubauer Invitational at Wisconsin-LaCrosse was top heavy with some of the best NCAA Division III teams in the Midwest.
Augustana placed eighth in its own Brissman/Lundeen Invitational and finished fifth in the CCIW. The Vikings finished the year by taking 16th in the 43 team NCAA Division III Midwest Regional.
2008 CCIW WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY MEET
November 1, 2008
Wisconsin-Parkside Campus Course (hosted by Carthage)
Kenosha, Wisconsin
TEAM SCORES
PLACE | TEAM | SCORE |
1. | 41 | |
2. | North Central | 73 |
3. | Carthage | 75 |
4. | Illinois Wesleyan | 75 |
5. | AUGUSTANA | 118 |
6. | Elmhurst | 134 |
7. | North Park | 233 |
8. | Millikin | 237 |
INDIVIDUAL TOP 10 (and Augustana finishers)
PLACE | RUNNER | SCHOOL | TIME |
1. | Lisa Baumert | Wheaton | 22:12 |
2. | Kat Bednarski | Elmhurst | 22:46 |
3. | Kerry Devitt | Illinois Wesleyan | 22:49 |
4. | ELLEN ADAMS | AUGUSTANA | 22:50 |
5. | Amanda Laesch | North Central | 22:56 |
6. | Ashley Johnson | 23:01 | |
7. | Laura Pearson | Carthage | 23:02 |
8. | Jennifer Parisi | Wheaton | 23:06 |
9. | Brooke Zeller | Wheaton | 23:07 |
10. | Sarah Ahn | North Central | 23:09 |
Augustana Finishers | |||
22. | JILLIAN RIGERT | AUGUSTANA | 23:48 |
23. | HANNAH HOTTLE | AUGUSTANA | 23:49 |
33 | KRYSTAL DAMIANO | AUGUSTANA | 24:09 |
42 | SAMANTHA LASKOWSKI | AUGUSTANA | 24:46 |
48. | MEAGHAN REANEY | AUGUSTANA | 25:05 |
50. | SAMANTHA PANCAMO | AUGUSTANA | 25:09 |
2008 AUGUSTANA WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY SUPERLATIVES
TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS
TEAM FINISHES – Won Coe dual meet on 09/06 by score of 20-35) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa…6th (of 6) at NIU Invitational on 09/13 in DeKalb, Illinois…10th (of 25) at Illinois Intercollegiates on 09/19 in Bloomington, Illinois…8th (of 27) at Brissman/Lundeen Invitational on 09/27 in Rock Island, Illinois…20th (of 31) at UW-Parkside Invitational on 10/11 in Kenosha, Wisconsin…19th (of 25) at Tori Neubauer Invitational on 10/18 in LaCrosse, Wisconsin…
NCAA DIVISION III MIDWEST REGIONAL FINISH – 16th (of 43) on 11/15 in Rock Island, Illinois.
INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2008 MEETS
08/29 – AUGUSTANA OPEN: Ellen Adams in 15:10
09/06 – COE DUAL MEET: Ellen Adams in 15:13
CCIW INDIVIDUAL HONORS
TOP TEN INDIVIDUAL FINISH – Ellen Adams, 4th at CCIW Championship on 11/01/08 with time of 22:50
ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE – Ellen Adams, Samantha Laskowski, Jillian Rigert, Ella Mathieson, Meaghan, Reaney, Hannah Schneider, Amy Walsh, Sarah Johnson, Melissa Lehpamer, Kristin Sattizahn.
TEAM AWARDS
MOST VALUABLE RUNNER – Ellen Adams
MOST IMPROVED RUNNER – Paige Deike, Hannah Schneider, Amy Walsh
MOST VALUABLE FRESHMAN – Sarah Johnson
VIKING AWARD – Jillian Rigert
TEAM CAPTAINS 2008 – Ellen Adams, Samantha Laskowski
CAPTAINS-ELECT FOR 2009 – Ellen Adams, Krystal Damiano, Samantha Laskowski
