Men's Cross Country 10/27/2010 6:00:00 PM Drake Athletics

Men's Cross Country Team Prepares For MVC Championship

WHAT'S AHEAD: The Drake men's cross country team eyes a high upper division finish when it competes in the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championship this Saturday at the RAFT Golf Course in Augusta, Kan., hosted by Wichita State. The 8,000-meter race will start at 11:30 a.m.

LAST YEAR: Indiana State edged pre-race favorite Southern Illinois, 32-33, to claim the 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Men's Cross Country team title in Peoria, Ill. The top five Sycamores and Salukis were among the first 11 finishers, but it was race winner Scott Krapf of Illinois State who made the difference in the team championship after he pulled away from a three-man, pace-setting pack to win by 17 seconds over Southern Illinois' Jeff Schirmer.

The Bulldogs finished a disappointing sixth in the final team standings. Then sophomore Derek Campbell led Drake by finishing 25th on the wet and muddy 8,000-meter course in 27 minutes 37 seconds.

Drake senior Jeff Grassmeyer was 34th in 27:59, while sophomore Colin Hagan was 36th in 28:00. Senior Zac Bales-Henry was 38th in 28:05 and junior Mike Bumgarner was 39th in 28:08. Sophomore Ben Jaskowiak was 43rd in 28:12. Drake junior Adam Oestreich finished 49th in 28:42 and sophomore Josh Buschling was 59th in 29.09.

A LOOK BACK: Returning to action for the first time in two weeks, Drake finished seventh in the 21-team Bradley Classic Oct. 15 at the Newman Golf Course in Peoria, Ill.

Freshman transfer Omet Kak (Des Moines, Iowa) led the Bulldogs by placing 14th overall out of 211 runners. He covered the 8,000-meter course in 24 minutes 42 seconds. DePaul's Matthew Graham won the meet in 23:37.

Drake freshman Brogan Austin (Boone, Iowa) was 22nd in 24:51. Drake junior Ben Jaskowiak (Madison, Wis.) was 55th, while sophomore transfer Tim Cornish (Wellington, New Zealand) placed 57th in 25:35.

Drake junior Charlie Lapham (Golden Valley, Minn.) was 66th in 25:40, while Drake freshman Doug Brady (Englewood, Colo.) was 68th in 25:43.

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