EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- The No. 15 University of Southern Indiana men's cross country team travels to the NCAA II National Championships this weekend in Louisville, Kentucky. The national meet will be held Saturday at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park and begins at 10 a.m. (CST).
USI will be competing in the NCAA II National Championships for the sixth consecutive year and is making its 18th overall appearance in the program's history.
The Screaming Eagles are looking for a second straight top 10 finish and the third in the last four seasons for Head Coach Mike Hillyard. USI returns five of its seven competitors from last season's squad that finished sixth at the national championship meet, which the Eagles hosted in Evansville.
Junior All-American's Dustin Emerick and Brendan Devine are seeking to become just the third and fourth individuals in school history to become two-time All-Americans.
Senior Andrew Dixon will attempt to join Emerick and Devine in becoming the first trio of teammates to receive All-America honors in the same season. In order to receive All-America honors, individuals must finish among the top 40 overall.
“Heading into a national meet your runners sometimes lose sight of the essentials – sleep, diet, and hydration – that can affect their performance,” said Coach Hillyard.
Coach Hillyard has stressed to his runners not to focus on how the competition will fare, but focus on the key factor they can control: their own performance.
Along with hosting the NCAA II Cross Country National Championships, Louisville also is the site of the NCAA Division II Fall Sports Festival. During the festival, six national champions will be crowned in four different sports; men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, field hockey, and volleyball.
