Teams Gear Up for the Horizon League Cross Country Championships

INDIANAPOLIS --- The 2011 Horizon League Cross Country Championships are set for Saturday, Oct. 29 at the Squire Valleevue Farms in Cleveland, Ohio and will be hosted by Cleveland State University. The men’s race will start at 11 a.m. (EST) followed by the women’s race at 12 p.m.

Butler will look to defend both its men’s and women’s titles from the 2010 season and currently leads the league in men’s consecutive team championships (13) and women’s team titles (12).

For the men, Butler will return three of the top-10 finishers from last season in 2010 Newcomer of the Year Ross Clarke (2^nd), Callum Hawkins (5^th) and Matt Proctor (10^th).  Also returning from the top-10 will be seniors Brian Denk (UIC, 3^rd) and Josh Stein (Loyola, 7^th).

UIC will be back with Sam Kehoe and Tyler Hinckley, who were members of the Second Team All-Horizon League last year. Loyola will return with Andy Fenske, who took 13^th last season as a freshman.

Butler women will return several top-10 finishers from last season in senior Lauren Haberkorn (4^th), junior Lauren McKillop (6^th), and junior Kaitlyn Love (8^th). Also returning from an injury last season will be Shelbi Burnett, who took third place at the championships as a freshman.

Youngstown State’s Samantha Hamilton (7^th) and Loyola’s Gina Valgoi (9^th) will also return from last year’s top-10. 2010 Second-Team All-Horizon League members Jaime Johnson (UIC, 12^th) and Catherine Crisler (Loyola, 13^th) will also return for this year’s competition.

For results and a recap of the event, please visit www.horizonleague.org after competition has concluded. You can also follow the Horizon League on Twitter and Facebook for the most up-to-date information.