November 3, 1997

Four Monmouth cross country runners placed among the top fifteen finishers at the Midwest Conference Championships this past weekend and earned All-Conference medals for their efforts. The 1997 MWC Meet was hosted by Grinnell College and run at Oakland Acres Golf Course in Grinnell, Iowa. The Fighting Scots braved the chilly, windy conditions and came away with a pair of top-four team places as the men finished 3rd and the women 4th among the ten league schools.

Carroll College successfully defended their women's team title, placing five runners in the top ten places to score 33 points. Beloit (57), Grinnell (94) and Monmouth (99) claimed the next three spots as the Scots finished only five points out of third. In the men's division, Grinnell regained the title with 29 points as the Pioneers had five runners in the top 15. Knox (80) edged Monmouth (81) for the runner-up position with Beloit (95) finishing fourth.

Senior Carrie Knauer (Strawn,IL/Prairie Central) earned another spot in the Monmouth record books as she became only the second Fighting Scot female to win three cross country All-Conference medals. Knauer's time of 20:24 on the 5000-meter course placed her 6th in the women's race and was the third-best ever run by a Monmouth harrier on the Oakland Acres course. Knauer was joined among the top 15 by junior Gretchen Vandergriff (Wolcott,IN/Greenwood), who claimed her first career All-Conference medal with a 12th-place performance in 20:40 (#5 all-time course time). As they have done all season, the Monmouth pack ran tight the entire race and finished within 11 seconds of each other to round out the team scoring. Seniors Rita McQuinn (Mason City,IL/ Illini Central) placed 25th in 21:25, senior Kathleen Yarger (Belvidere,IL/HS) ran 27th in 21:31 and sophomore Dara Pagel (Lincoln,IL/HS) finished in 29th at 21:36. Sophomores Jennifer Hoffman (Orland Park,IL/Sandburg) [35th, 21:50] and Ann Moody (Yates City,IL/Farmington) [45th, 22:10] were the Scots' sixth and seventh scoring runners.

"Our women were a little disappointed with our team place but the runners all put forth a solid effort," said Monmouth coach Chris Pio. "We were hoping for a top-three finish, but Carroll and Beloit were awfully tough and we came up just a few points short of Grinnell. Our women ran a respectable team race and really represented themselves well. Carrie was just fantastic up front and Gretchen was never out of the top 15 the whole race. They both deserve their All-Conference medals."

In the men's 8000-meter race sophomore Jamie Nelson (Monmouth,IL/HS) gradually moved up throughout the entire run and finished 6th in 28:02 to lead the Monmouth charge. Nelson improved upon his freshman year finish (9th) to earn his second All-Conference medal. Senior Frank Schweda (Rolling Meadows,IL/HS) ran to his third career top-15 award, finishing 9th in 28:15 after second-place efforts his sophomore and junior seasons. The Scots' top freshman, Tony Miles (Moline,IL/HS), just missed All-Conference honors, running 17th in 28:43. Seniors Joel Eckberg (Walnut,IL/HS) [20th, 28:55] and Matt Clemen (Naples,FL/ Cascade) [33rd, 29:44] closed out the Monmouth scoring group. The team's 6th and 7th finishers were sophomore Clint LaFary (Green Valley,IL/Delavan) in 41st place (30:11) and junior Jason Dare (Elmwood,IL/Farmington) in 47th (30:34).

"It's always hard to lose a place by a single point but it certainly gives our men a little more incentive for next year," said Pio on the men's results. "Grinnell had a great day on their home course but we hope to get back on top next fall. We won last year and our men know what it takes to get there. Our runners ran a decent race but we weren't very sharp in a few spots and that's what really hurt us. Jamie and Frank ran well up front for us and paced the team again like they have all season. It's great to see them get the rewards they deserve for their hard work and effort."

After a week off from competition the cross country squads conclude their fall racing schedule at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. UW-Oshkosh will host the Regional Meet on November 15 which will determine the team and individual qualifiers for the NCAA Division III National Championships.

Men 3rd of 10, 81 points
6. Jamie Nelson (Monmouth,IL/HS), 28:02
9. Frank Schweda (Rolling Meadows,IL/HS), 28:15
17. Tony Miles (Moline,IL/HS), 28:43
20. Joel Eckberg (Walnut,IL/HS), 28:55
33. Matt Clemen (Naples,FL/Cascade), 29:44
41. Clint LaFary (Green Valley,IL/Delavan), 30:11
47. Jason Dare (Elmwood,IL/Farmington), 30:34
48. Ken Williams (Edwardsville,IL/HS), 30:35
55. Derek Cisel (Elmwood,IL/HS), 30:54
82. Chris Johnson (Rochelle,IL/HS), 34:28

Women 4th of 10, 99 points
6. Carrie Knauer (Strawn,IL/Prairie Ctl), 20:24
12. Gretchen Vandergriff (Wolcott,IN/Greenwood), 20:40
25. Rita McQuinn (Mason City,IL/Illini Ctl), 21:25
27. Kathleen Yarger (Belvidere,IL/HS), 21:31
29. Dara Pagel (Lincoln,IL/HS), 21:36
35. Jennifer Hoffman (Orland Park,IL/Sandburg), 21:50
36. Greta Swanson (Silvis,IL/United Township), 21:50
45. Ann Moody (Yates City,IL/Farmington), 22:10
64. Karen Kraus (Belleville,IL/West), 23:18
92. Tammy Schrieber (Elgin,IL/Burlington Ctl), 28:07