DePaul University Athletics
Cross Country Set for BIG EAST Championships
10/27/2017 12:00:00 AM | CROSS COUNTRY
Saturday, Oct. 28 at 11 a.m.
Dannehl National Cross Country Course | Somers, Wisconsin
SOMERS, WI - The DePaul men's and women's cross country teams are set to race at the BIG EAST Championships. The meet will be held at the Dannehl National Cross Country Course in Somers, Wisconsin. Marquette University will administer the championships. DePaul starts the meet on the men's side at 11 a.m. with the 8K race. The women's squad is set to follow at 11:50 a.m. with the 6K. An award ceremony will be conducted at 12:40 p.m.
The BIG EAST is incredibly successful in women's cross country, winning four of the last eight national championships. Lizzie DeJoie, Jessica Harris, Margaret Hastings, Kate Jacobs, Sabrina Olsen, Courtney Pickering, Miranda Rea, and Jessica Sanborn will represent the Blue Demons. Looking to improve last season's ninth place finish, DePaul brings a wealth of new talent as well as incredible leadership from the upperclassmen.
Coach Derrick Peterson comments, "In particular, the women have been doing a tremendous job of steady improving as a team. It has been a joy to see the improvement on that side of the program because that is something we definitely want to continue elevating. You will see some really great performances there."
At last season's meet, Jessica Harrisrounded out DePaul's top five scorers by finishing in 65th at 24:33.0. Freshman Courtney Pickeringmoved up two spots in the final 1k to take 70th with a time of 24:59.9 to complete DePaul's day in the women's race.
Senior Jessica Sanborn looks to compete at this season's championships after holding off last season due to injury. Her quickest performance of this season was at the Bradley Pink Classic, clocking in at (24:12.2).
"Jess has been phenomenal for the women. Although she has bounced back from injury, she has been there as a great teammate, great person, and great leader for the women, said Peterson, "Her leadership has shown throughout the course of the season and she has been a tremendous bridge between our upper-class women and our newcomers. As a team the women benefit quite well from her being there every day."
On the men's side, Noah Deck, Conor Fagan, Henry Harper, Chris Korabik, Jack Korte, Charlie McIntyre, Jake Pecorin, Daniel Peterson, James Ryan, and Daniel Toomey will pave the way for DePaul. After last season's sixth place finish, seniors Korabik, Pecorin, and Ryan are determined to make a final statement.
"Chris [Korabik] helps lead our men's team and Jake [Pecorin] stepping up and being a major contributor on the men's side has been tremendous throughout the season. James [Ryan] has made major improvements and has been major for our men's team," said Peterson. "We rely on them pretty heavily to lead the men's team."
Korabik has continued to lead the Blue Demons this season with three top performances. Posting a time of (25:43.3) at the Bradley Pink Classic, Korabik will set to pass his 2016 BIG EAST Championship finish of (27:13.0). Pecorin was the third DePaul runner at last season's BIG EAST Championship to finish with a time of (26:27.4) and 46th overall. Ryan finished 69th at last season's meet, clocking in at (27:17.1) to close the day for the Blue Demon men.
Fans can visit the DePaul cross country schedule page for all live coverage, links and more. Full recaps and statistics after each match this weekend will be posted to DePaulBlueDemons.com. The BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) will produce a Championship Recap show for BIGEAST.com, Facebook Live and the BIG EAST Youtube Page.
