December 13, 2012
2012 MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY REVIEW
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| Seniors Nathan (176) and Justin (175) Smith were key components for the Augustana men's cross country team in 2012. The Vikings finished the season ranked 31st in the final NCAA Division III national poll. |
Jonathan Smith earns All-America honors with 34th-place finish at nationals; Vikings finish third at the CCIW meet and ninth at regionals; end the season ranked eighth in the Midwest Region and 31st nationally
Augustana's 2012 cross country season was highlighted by a 34th-place finish at the national meet by senior co-captain Jonathan Smith (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.). Smith became the second Viking in three years to earn All-America status and is the 25th Augustana cross country All-American all-time. Coach Paul Olsen's squad finished third at the CCIW meet in Warrenville, Illinois and ninth at the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional in Winneconne, Wisconsin. The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association ranked the Vikings eight in the region and 31st nationally.
The team won its own Augustana Invitational, topping a field of 30 teams behind Jonathan Smith's fourth-place 25:17. Smith's performance earned him CCIW Performer of the Week honors. He was also fourth (18:55) at the Western Illinois Early Bird Invitational, helping the Vikings finish second to the University of Iowa in a seven-team field. Olsen's crew also finished second among 30 teams at Rose-Hulman's Pre-National meet, fifth out of 36 squads at the Illinois Intercollegiate Championship and sixth of 38 teams at the Wisconsin-Oshkosh Invitational.
Jonathan Smith, who recorded four top-ten finishes this season, ran a fifth-place 24:45 at the CCIW Championship and followed that up by taking 15th at the Midwest Regional in a time of 24:56. That qualified him for the national meet in Terre Haute, Indiana, where he finished in 25:04.4, garnering All-America honors. His other top ten finish was seventh place (25:43) at the Rose-Hulman Pre-National meet.
Freshman Keith Sands (United Township HS, East Moline, Ill.) was also a top ten finisher at the CCIW meet, running a 25:03 to finish 10th. He finished eighth at the Augustana Invitational in 25:33. Seniors Brian Pollastrini (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.), Justin Smith (Fenton HS, Bensenville, Ill.) and Nathan Smith (Fenton HS, Bensenville, Ill.) were also stalwarts for Olsen this season. Pollastrini, a Viking co-captain with Jonathan Smith, ran a sixth-place 19:06 at Western Illinois and a fifth-place 25:25 at the Augustana Invitational before being hampered by injuries late in the season. Justin and Nathan Smith finished 14th and 15th, respectively, at the CCIW meet finishing in 25:18 and 25:20. They also finished 9th and 10th at Western Illinois, with Nathan running a 19:14 to finish four seconds ahead of Justin. Justin also recorded a seventh-place finish (25:32) at the Augustana Invite.
Freshman Dan Popek (Minooka HS, Minooka, Ill.) finished 20th at the CCIW Championship, running a 25:48. Also competing for Augustana at the Warrenville, Illinois meet were junior Tyler Busch (Winnebago HS, Winnebago, Ill.), freshman Ethan Koch (Prospect HS, Mt. Prospect, Ill.), sophomore Nick Gornick (York HS, Elmhurst, Ill.) and senior co-captain Tommy Harris (Assumption HS, Davenport, Iowa). Bush finished 25th in 26:10, while Koch (26:28), Gornick (26:44) and Harris (26:51), were 32nd, 38th, and 42nd, respectively.
In addition to Jonathan Smith, regional competitors for the Vikings included Sands (25:13), who finished 34th and Popek (25:59), who was 66th. Nathan (26:03) and Justin (26:04) Smith finished 69th and 70th, respectively, while Gornick (26:14) was 79th and Busch (26:49) 110th.
Jonathan Smith was voted the team's Most Valuable Performer and shared Most Inspirational honors with Pollastrini. Sands was selected as Augustana's Most Valuable Freshman. Juniors Busch and Isaac Trostle (Willowbrook HS, Lombard, Ill.) were elected co-captains for the 2013 season. Other award winners included Most Improved Performer Aaron Trost (Bishop McNamara HS, Kankakee, Ill.), a junior, and Most Improved Freshman Brian Lovejoy (Mt. Carmel HS, Chicago, Ill.).
2012 CCIW MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP
October 27, 2012 **** St. James Farm***** Warrenville, Illinois
TEAM SCORES
| PLACE | TEAM | SCORE |
| 1. | North Central | 19 |
| 2. | Wheaton | 55 |
| 3. | AUGUSTANA | 62 |
| 4. | Illinois Wesleyan | 124 |
| 5. | Carthage | 152 |
| 6. | Elmhurst | 168 |
| 7. | Millikin | 212 |
| 8. | North Park | 252 |
INDIVIDUAL TOP 15 (plus Augustana finishers)
| PLACE | RUNNER | SCHOOL | TIME |
| 1. | Dan Kerley | North Central | 24:33 |
| 2. | John Crain | North Central | 24:35 |
| 3. | Yonatan Mascote | North Central | 24:36 |
| 4. | Jake Waterman | Wheaton | 24:39 |
| 5. | JONATHAN SMITH | AUGUSTANA | 24:45 |
| 6. | Roger Klein | North Central | 24:49 |
| 7. | Troy Kelleher | North Central | 24:53 |
| 8. | James Waterman | Wheaton | 24:56 |
| 9. | David Weber | North Central | 24:58 |
| 10. | KEITH SANDS | AUGUSTANA | 25:03 |
| 11. | Mark Phillips | Wheaton | 25:11 |
| 12. | Mitchell Gilbert | North Central | 25:15 |
| 13. | Parker Thompson | Wheaton | 25:16 |
| 14. | JUSTIN SMITH | AUGUSTANA | 25:18 |
| 15. | NATHAN SMITH | AUGUSTANA | 25:20 |
| AUGUSTANA FINISHERS | |||
| 20. | DAN POPEK | AUGUSTANA | 25:48 |
| 25. | TYLER BUSCH | AUGUSTANA | 26:10 |
| 32. | ETHAN KOCH | AUGUSTANA | 26:28 |
| 38. | NICK GORNICK | AUGUSTANA | 26:43 |
| 42. | TOMMY HARRIS | AUGUSTANA | 26:51 |
2012 AUGUSTANA CROSS COUNTRY SUPERLATIVES
NCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL MEET: Jonathan Smith competed at the Division III National Meet, hosted by Rose-Hulman at LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana...He finished 34th, covering the 8,000 meter course in 25:04.4 to earn All-America honors.
NCAA DIVISION III MIDWEST REGIONAL: Augustana finished ninth out of 39 teams in the Midwest Regional, hosted by UW-Oshkosh at Lake Breeze Golf Course in Winneconne, Wisconsin on November 10... Jonathan Smith placed 15th and qualified for the national meet.
USTFCCCA NCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL RANKING: 31st
USTFCCCA NCAA DIVISION III MIDWEST REGIONAL RANKING: 8th
INVITATIONAL FINISHES
Western Illinois Early Bird Invitational, 08/31 in Macomb, Ill. - 2nd of 7 with 40 points
Illinois Intercollegiate Championship, 09/14 in Normal, Ill. - 5th of 36 with 155 points
Augustana Invite, 09/21 in Rock Island, Ill. - 1st of 34 with 27 points
Rose-Hulman Pre-Nationals, 10/06 in Terre Haute, Ind. - 2nd of 30 with 98 points
UW-Oshkosh Invitational, 10/13 in Winneconne, Wis. - 6th of 38 with 174
CCIW Championship, 10/27 in Warrenville, Ill. - 3rd of 8 with 62 points
NCAA Division III Midwest Regional, 11/10 in Winneconne, Wis. - 9th of 39 with 251 points
INDIVIDUAL TOP 10 FINISHES
Western Illinois Early Bird Invitational, 08/31 in Macomb, Ill. - 4th, Jonathan Smith,18:55...6th, Brian Pollastrini, 19:06...9th, Nathan Smith, 19:14...10th, Justin Smith, 19:18.
Augustana Invite, 09/21 in Rock Island, Ill. - 4th, Jonathan Smith, 25:17...5th, Brian Pollastrini, 25:25...7th, Justin Smith, 25:32...8th, Keith Sands, 25:33.
Rose-Hulman Pre-Nationals, 10/06 in Terre Haute, Ind. - 7th, Jonathan Smith, 25:43.
CCIW Championship, 10/27 in Warrenville, Ill. - 5th, Jonathan Smith, 24:45...10th, Keith Sands, 25:03
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
CCIW ACADEMIC ALL-CONFERENCE: Andrew Brimeyer, Tyler Busch, Nick Gornick, Alex Gorsuch, Tommy Harris, Paul Hurd, Dennis O'Flaherty, Alex Odenkirk, Brian Pollastrini, Dan Popek, Keith Sands, Jonathan Smith, Justin Smith, Nathan Smith, Isaac Trostle
CCIW "ATHLETE OF THE WEEK": Jonathan Smith on September 25
CCIW "JACK SWARTZ AWARD": Jonathan Smith
TEAM AWARDS
MVP - Jonathan Smith
MOST VALUABLE FRESHMAN - Keith Sands
MOST IMPROVED - Aaron Trost
MOST IMPROVED FRESHMAN - Brian Lovejoy
MOST INSPIRATIONAL - Brian Pollastrini & Jonathan Smith
CAPTAINS-ELECT FOR 2013 - Tyler Busch & Isaac Trostle
