 Bills Head to Oklahoma State for NCAA Regional
Nov. 14, 2008
On Your Mark: Saint Louis travels to Stillwater, Okla., to participate in the NCAA Midwest Regional Saturday. The races get underway at 11 a.m. (CT) with the women's 6K, followed by the men's 10K. Last Time Out: SLU's women's squad posted its best finish ever at the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships Nov. 1 when it placed sixth overall. Mary Moloney was the top Billiken, finishing 20th overall. Freshman Hilary Orf finished a second behind Moloney in 22nd overall. The men's team matched last season's 12th-place finish. Brian Holdmeyer led the squad with a 49th-place showing. Regional History: Last season, Mary Moloney posted a 6K school record in helping the women's team to 17th in the NCAA Regional. The men also got a school-record performance from Steve Vargas while placing 20th overall. Scouting the Billikens: The women's team is positioned to surpass last season's 17th-place finish in the regional. Mary Moloney and Hilary Orf have been consistent one-two finishers for the Billikens. The men's team will just send Brian Holdmeyer to the event. Holdmeyer, a sophomore, has led the Bills in every race this season. Down the Road: The NCAA Championships are set for Nov. 24 in Terre Haute, Ind. The top-two teams in each of the nine regions advance to the meet, along with 13 at-large teams. The top four runners at each regional meet not on an advancing team automatically advance to the national meet, in addition to two at-large runners. Coaching Staff: Head coach Jon Bell is in his second season leading the Billikens' cross country and track & field squads. Also returning to the coaching staff this season are assistant coach Tim Bradley, graduate assistant Autumn Valk and volunteer assistant coach John Cunningham.
Bell's Bits: "I think our women's team could be regionally ranked in the top 15, and we have a chance to prove that Saturday," SLU head coach Jon Bell said. "We will be gunning for schools like Illinois State, Oklahoma, Mizzou and Loyola, which are ranked near 15th in the Midwest. We feel we can run with those schools. On the men's side, Brian Holdmeyer is a very good competitor in the 10K distance, which he will be running for the first time this season. I would be pleased if he finished somewhere in the middle of the pack." |
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