Valpo Cross Country 2016

[valporun]

I looked to see how things went with the Crusader Open for 2016. I am beyond disappointed in what has happened with this meet since being moved off-campus in 2002. This meet used to be on Saturday mornings run in the area behind Kretzmann, the Chapel, and the old Union. It was a loop race, but had a great campus crowd base, post-Union breakfast. Once construction started on the Christopher Center, the meet had to move off-campus. Mind you, this meet used to get 14-16 teams to come race on those Saturdays.

Since moving to Sunset Farms in 2002, the race went from a Saturday morning to Friday evening. With this, teams started backing out and going to other meets that were on Saturdays, and not as hilly or rough to begin the season. Long story short, after years of seeing the meet run with maybe 4 or 5 teams, and traditionally won by the B or C runners from Notre Dame, the 2016 edition of this meet was run Friday with TWO, yes, I said TWO, teams. The competing teams were Notre Dame and Valpo. Of course, Notre Dame ran away with the meet on both sides, but I can't believe it was worth the time to have a dual meet that wasn't competitive at all.

It will be a long season for Valpo Cross Country, especially when many of the runners will only have two meets run before their season ends.

[agibson]

They were thin on fan information, as well. I couldn't find any and was left guessing that it was at Sunset Hills Park. Not sure why Jesse Greenhagen, a major of ours, didn't run.

(Similar story re fan information for Women's Golf last week at their home competition. But, they'd lost their coach just a couple of days before so it was rather more understandable. And, they took the top four spots!)

[valporun]

In terms of lack of fan information, which grad assistant is supposed to be on the cross country and golf beats, now that Brad Collignon is gone? I wasn't even so much concerned about the fan information as I was why only two teams for the Crusader Open? I mean the course is a bear this early in the season, but what are the reasons that Coach Straubel can't get that meet to happen on a Saturday morning, when more schools might want to run on a Saturday, than a Friday night? Is Sunset Hills that dead set on not shutting the park down for a full Saturday, or what are their reasons?

[vu72]

In terms of lack of fan information, which grad assistant is supposed to be on the cross country and golf beats, now that Brad Collignon is gone? I wasn't even so much concerned about the fan information as I was why only two teams for the Crusader Open? I mean the course is a bear this early in the season, but what are the reasons that Coach Straubel can't get that meet to happen on a Saturday morning, when more schools might want to run on a Saturday, than a Friday night? Is Sunset Hills that dead set on not shutting the park down for a full Saturday, or what are their reasons?

On a different note, is Coach Straubel really doing any coaching?  He is a full time law professor with involvement in free law clinics as well as representing athletes.  Does he have any time and is he even paid?

[VU2624]

Liz Bloy didn't run for the women either. Maybe they were just held out of the first meet which wouldn't be unusual.

[valporun]

Unless there is an injury, or some kind of internship, Coach Straubel doesn't sit anyone out of a cross country meet.

[Valpo89]

I see coach Straubel running all the time, in the late afternoon hours. Sometimes alone, sometimes with the team.

[momofalex]

Not sure if Liz ran or not, but her new name is Owen (married decathlete Elijah Owen '16 over the summer).  Perhaps you missed her because of the name change, or were you at the meet?

[VU2624]

Not sure if Liz ran or not, but her new name is Owen (married decathlete Elijah Owen '16 over the summer).  Perhaps you missed her because of the name change, or were you at the meet?

Didn't know about the name change. Thanks for the heads up.

[momofalex]

I confirmed with my son who was at the meet working/cheering - Liz (Bloy) Owen is healthy and did run the meet.   

[VU2624]

I confirmed with my son who was at the meet working/cheering - Liz (Bloy) Owen is healthy and did run the meet.   

Liz Owen is in the results. Liz Bloy is not....not surprisingly.  Typically, when athletes get married in track results you will see a woman who has taken her husband's last name listed as you have or in a fashion such as Liz Owen (nee Bloy) to avoid confusion. Maybe it was in an earlier article and I missed it.

[agibson]

Not sure if Liz ran or not, but her new name is Owen (married decathlete Elijah Owen '16 over the summer).  Perhaps you missed her because of the name change, or were you at the meet?

Nice! Elijah was a student of mine back a few years ago, his sophomore year probably. Good for them.

Alas, Jesse, our current Physics major (and mechanical engineering) really did _not_ run. Nagging knee issue. He's not hanging up his sneakers just yet - he seemed committed to run competitively again sometime; but maybe not this season

[VU2624]

Valpo dominated Trinity International today as we beat them in football and in cross country.

[agibson]

I confirmed with my son who was at the meet working/cheering - Liz (Bloy) Owen is healthy and did run the meet.   

The Torch suggests maybe not _entirely_ healthy, which may help explain her "middle-of-the-pack" results.
http://www.valpoathletics.com/wcc/schedule/#.V9_35pMrLUo

The Torch did a nice write-up on her which mentions a head cold hampering her at the home meet.
http://www.valpotorch.com/sports/article_7acbd320-7c5c-11e6-a0ad-0b2bf0e97eb2.html

[valporun]

Looking at results from the weekend, Liz Owen may still be recovering, or she was told to take it easier this meet? She was in San Diego with the rest of the women's team to prepare for some tougher competition. She'll have the Notre Dame Invitational in two weeks, along with the top women, plus the men's top runners. This is why it looked weird that we weren't higher up in the results at the Gil Dodds Invitational.