Runners ensure Nationals berth with solid race at Regionals

WEST LAFAYETTE -- Saturday, the No. 20 men's cross country team battled frigid weather and fierce competition at Purdue for the Great Lakes District meet. The team overcame both to finish fourth in the team battle, only one point behind third place and No. 10 Central Michigan. Seven ranked teams competed in the meet.\nThe top two teams in the race qualify automatically for the NCAA Championships Nov. 25 at Terre Haute, but at-large bids also earn a spot at the race. The entire field for the meet will be announced later today.\nThe team said they are confident about their chances to earn a spot at the NCAA Championships. Team members said before the event they could slip as far as seventh and still have a chance to make the meet.\nThe team was led by the Big Ten Freshman of the Year John Jefferson with a fourth place finish in the ten kilometer race. He finished with a time of 30:41.5.\nAlso scoring for the team were freshman Sean Jefferson at 15th, junior Bart Phariss at 23rd, freshman Eric Redman at 38th and sophomore Tom Burns at 44th.\n"I though they did a very good job in the second half of the race," coach Robert Chapman said. "We talked about cruising through the first half and really letting it go in the second half."\nThe team also used a pair strategy for the first time this season. Earlier in the year, the team dominated races using a strong pack to pull each other along. For this meet, Chapman said they would run in pairs. The Jefferson twins usually run side by side, but this approach was new to the rest of the team.\nAnother strategy used by Chapman was training through the Big Ten Championships two weeks ago. Most teams bring their mileage down for such a big meet, but the Hoosiers kept their training high looking forward to Districts.\nThe team finished a disappointing fourth at Big Tens but were satisfied with their performance this weekend.\n"We certainly knew a solid performance would put us in the race," Chapman said. "This is why we trained through Big Tens. Now we go into Nationals with some momentum."\nThe Hoosiers defeated every Big Ten team except No. 4 Wisconsin.\nIf the team qualifies for the NCAA Championships as is expected, it will be the second time in the last three years. They hope for a top 15 finish as a team at the meet.\nIndiana State University will host the NCAA Championships next Monday at the Vern Gibson Championship Course. The race will begin at 1:15 p.m.\n"Now we've got nine days to regroup and take another crack at it," Chapman said.