Full Results (.pdf) I Photo Gallery I Chuck Koeppen Interview I Joey Zielinski Interview

BROOKINGS, S.D. - The IUPUI men's cross country team displayed its superior depth, putting seven runners on the all-league teams as the Jaguars repeated as Summit League champs at Edgebrook Golf Course on an overcast Saturday morning (Oct. 31). Host South Dakota State boasted the race's top three finishers, but IUPUI had six among the top-10 and earned a hard fought four-point win over the Jackrabbits, 35-39. North Dakota State was a distant third with 80 points.

"Our guys packed it in, ran as a team and did a great job," Summit League Coach of the Year Chuck Koeppen said. "I just think it was a great team effort. We're really happy and I'm proud of all those guys.

"Today, I was really nervous going in. (SDSU) has a great 1-2 punch, but we also knew we had some guys that hadn't performed up to their level yet and they all did today. It was just a great team effort."

IUPUI was strong throughout, keeping a consistent pack near the front. However, things appeared dire as the SDSU triumvirate crossed the finish line in the top three spots. As expected, SDSU standout Trent Lusignan won the individual title in a time of 24:29.70, followed by teammate Joel Reichow at 24:34.40. A third Jackrabbit, Trevor Capra, finished a strong showing by placing third in a time of 24:49.57, followed by South Dakota's Mubarik Musa at 24:49.66.

From there, it was a cavalcade of Jaguars, paced by Robert Murphy. Murphy succumbed to Musa over the final 200 meters, but hung on to finish fifth at 24:54.22 and had plenty of support behind him.

Dakota Dubbs and Damon Pruett joined him in earning First Team All-Summit League honors, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively. The line of Jags continued as Connor Sorrells was eighth at 25:17.73 and Peyton Reed, who led the opening mile, was ninth at 25:20.27. Senior Joey Zielinski was tenth at 25:25.25, helping displace runners behind him. Freshman Griffin Miller also came up with a key race, finishing 14th to displace even more competitors, including SDSU's Nos. 4 and 5 runners. Miller just missed earning Newcomer of the Championships accolades, finishing two seconds behind NDSU's Elliott Stone.

Max Zmija was just behind Miller in 15th and Adam Guth rounded out the nine entries, placing 20th overall. However, after the Jaguars crossed the finish line, there wasn't much celebration to be seen, aside from a few handshakes and high fives. It wasn't for another nearly 10 minutes that results became official, giving the Jaguars the win for the second straight season. 

"It feels awesome," Zielinski said. "Even more so, it felt good just being able to rely on my teammates and know that if I had a solid performance, we'd get the job done.

"This year was a lot different. We were really worried about the competition. We hadn't really brought it together yet with our top seven in a race until today, so it felt more like a hard fought battle."

"I think deep down inside, they're all extremely happy," Koeppen said of his team's understated celebration. "I don't know why they don't want to be more outward about showing their emotions. They're funny that way. I think they're relieved." 

With the conference crown in hand, Koeppen's squad will now look to make a splash at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Nov. 13 as the Jaguars will travel to Verona, Wisc., to run against elite competition. The Jaguars are hoping to earn a national tournament berth with a strong showing up north. 

Team Results
1. IUPUI - 35
2. South Dakota State - 39
3. North Dakota State - 80
4. South Dakota - 87
5. IPFW - 158
6. Oral Roberts - 190
7. Western Illinois - 191

Individual Results
5. Robert Murphy - 24:54.22
6. Dakota Dubbs - 24:57.45
7. Damon Pruett - 25:01.17
8. Connor Sorrells - 25:17.73
9. Peyton Reed - 25:20.27
10. Joey Zielinski - 25:25.25
14. Griffin Miller - 25:33.55
15. Max Zmija - 25:37.92
20. Adam Guth - 25:50.26