Oct. 8, 2004

HUDSONVILLE - Anthony Pavicic placed 14th in 26:24 in the men's 8K race, and Meghan Juuti finished 12th in 23:27 in the women's 6K race to lead the Lake Superior State men's and women's cross country teams at the Michigan Intercollegiate held Friday.

The LSSU men placed four runners in the top 40 and placed third out of 13 teams, while six of seven runners on the women's squad landed in the top 40 as the Laker women placed sixth.

"Our girls teams have never finished in the top half of the team standings, and the guys team has been traditionally in the middle of the standings, so these results are a huge credit to the work they are putting to become a great team," LSSU coach Drew Ludtke said.

"We definitely have a team and not just a few individuals. If our top runner has an off day, it does not mean the team will have a bad day. Our depth is amazing right now as we had the first seventh man last weekend and the first eighth man this week. It says a lot for how these athletes work together."

According to Ludtke, several Lakers clocked personal bests on a slow course.

"The guys are putting four true freshmen and two sophomores in the top eight," he said. "The girls are similar with many underclass runners and true freshmen, so this is a long-term investment in a program that is going to be national caliber."

Other LSSU men's results: 22. Ben Tarbutton, 26:41; 35. Colin Vohlken, 26:55; 36. Tom Thornton, 26:57; 45. Emory Nelkie, 27:15; 52. Chris Olds, 27:28; 63. Matt Merian, 27:39.

Other LSSU women's results: 26. Jen Buerger, 23:59; 32. Mandi DeBlock, 24:15; 34. Amy Busfield, 24:20; 35. Brooke Brenner, 24:22; 39. Kristin Carson, 24:32; 42. Michelle Balance, 24:42.