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FARGO, N.D. - Led by three First Team All-Summit League finishers, the IUPUI men's cross country team earned the program's first-ever conference crown on Saturday (Nov. 1) with a decisive 38-point effort. 

South Dakota State (56 points) was second and South Dakota (63 points) was third in the overall standings. 

"Fabulous - not a better feeling," IUPUI Head Coach Chuck Koeppen said. "It's just a great feeling. These kids have worked hard and Coach Fruits has done a good job in working with them in training and deserves a lot of the credit."

IUPUI swept the major awards as senior Tom Ohlman was the program's first-ever Championship MVP with a winning time of 25:23.2 and Koeppen was voted the league's Coach of the Year by his peers. True freshman Isaiah White collected the Newcomer of the Championship award, placing 18th overall in a time of 26:17.7. 

Undeterred by the high winds, cold temps and competition, IUPUI seemingly took control of the race from the outset, sending the entire pack to the front of the line. Junior Joey Zielinski led much of the early going before passing the torch to Peyton Reed after the opening 2K loop.

"Early on, we had eight or nine guys up there, right in the lead pack for the first couple loops," Koeppen said. "Our top guys stayed up there as some of our other guys kind of fell back."

As the race began to settle in, the Jags were well positioned in the front after setting the early tone. The middle portion of the race was telling as IUPUI runners looked smooth and controlled as other teams fought to hold spots. At the end of the third loop, Ohlman blazed out to a huge lead with both Reed and Miguel Lozano a few spots back.

Ohlman controlled the final 2,500 meters, coasting to the finish line for a 3-second victory as SDSU's Brandon Sage was hard charging down the final chute. Sage crossed at 25:26.7 to pace SDSU. Lozano did much of his work over the final 1,000 meters, passing three runners, including Reed, to earn a third-place finish at 25:31.6. Reed closed his solid effort with a seventh-place finish at 25:39.4, capturing the final First Team spot by nearly nine seconds. Zielinski, who missed the last two weeks of training due to a nagging injury, gutted out a 12th-place effort at 25:58.3.

"Starting that last lap, I kind of felt like the guys were going to pull it off," Koeppen said. "Tommy's a special kid. With about 600 meters to go, I started telling him to enjoy it. It's such a great feeling. He had a 10-second lead at that point and won by three seconds, so maybe he enjoyed it just a little too much. He did a great job and I'm very proud of him."

Behind Zielinski, the Jaguars had a three-man security blanket, headed by Dakota Dubbs. The LaPorte-native who earned hugs and high fives from all of his teammates just after crossing, chimed in with a huge 15th-place finish, narrowly missing All-Summit League honors and sealing the Jaguars' victory. Dubbs punctuated the win with a time of 26:04.9, missing an All-League spot by just two seconds. 

"I gotta be honest, this summer we thought Dubbs was going to be a kid who was only going to run track for us," Koeppen said. "He's been hurt the past couple years, but this fall he put in a ton of work and has really stepped up for us. (Dubbs) was the man of the day in some respects. The question coming in was who was going to be our five man. We had a number of guys who are capable of doing it, but Dubbs stepped up made it happen."

Behind Dubbs, sophomore Damon Pruett and White finished in order as the Jags continued to boast their impressive depth. Pruett placed 17th at 26:14.4 and White finished at 26:17.7. 

The awards marked a bevy of firsts for the IUPUI program. Koeppen became IUPUI's first-ever cross country Coach of the Year honoree while Ohlman is IUPUI's first-ever conference champ. White is the second to earn the league's top newcomer award, joining Rabah Rahil (2003). 
 
IUPUI, which ranked No. 8 in the Great Lakes Region coming in to the weekend, will now move on to the Great Lakes Regional Meet in Madison, Wisc., on Friday, Nov. 14 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. 

Team Standings
1. IUPUI - 38
2. South Dakota State - 56
3. South Dakota - 63
4. North Dakota State - 66
5. Oral Roberts - 157
6. IPFW - 181
7. Western Illinois - 189

Individual Standings
1. Tom Ohlman - 25:23.2
3. Miguel Lozano - 25:31.6
7. Peyton Reed - 25:39.4
12. Joey Zielinski - 25:58.3
15. Dakota Dubbs - 26:04.9
17. Damon Pruett - 26:14.4
18. Isaiah White - 26:17.7
21. Sammy Tebeje - 26:32.5
28. Abiel Mogos - 26:57.3