Cross Country Opens 2022 Season at Eastern Illinois

The Marquette University men's and women's cross country teams open up the 2022 campaign this Friday, Sep. 2 at the Walt Crawford Open hosted by Eastern Illinois.

The meet will begin at 3:45 p.m. CT with the women's 5k and will be followed by the men's 8k. There will be nine total teams competing Friday evening. Joining Marquette and Eastern Illinois will be Indiana State, UIC, SIUE, Defiance College, Vincennes University, Danville Area CC, and Kaskaskia College.

"I'm excited to be back at it this week with some really good competition in Eastern Illinois and Indiana State," said head coach Sean Birren. "It will be a great experience for the entire squad."

Last season the Eastern Illinois men finished first and the women third in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Marquette Returners
The MU women return 10 experienced runners this season, led by team captains Emily Noone and Marissa Valentini. Both Noone and Valentini were staples for the Golden Eagles last season competing in six of the team's seven meets.

Junior Kate Jochims also returns for the Golden Eagles. Jochims was a top two finisher for MU in all six meets she ran in last season and was the first MU woman to cross the line at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, placing 78th overall.

The men return 10 of their 16 members from last year's squad. Juniors Cade Ferron and Greg Van Hollen are at the helm for the MU men as team captains for the 2022 season.

Sophomore Dan Weizeorick returns for the men looking to build upon his strong 2021 season. Weizeorick finished first for the MU men in five of the six meets he competed in last season, including the BIG EAST Championships and the NCAA Great Lakes Regional.

New Additions
The Marquette men add three new freshmen to the squad for 2022 Grant Brawley, Sean Kellogg, and Ronald Walters. Sophomores Braden Schreiber and Alex Watros will join the team and look to contribute in their first season of cross country action. Both Schreiber and Watros saw action last year for MU during the indoor and outdoor seasons running long sprints.

On the women's side, they add two freshmen in Emily Capper and Carol Ludington. The women add some experience with the additions of Stephanie Mauzer, who has run long sprints for the track & field team the last three seasons, and Mikaela Sullivan, a graduate transfer from Wisconsin Lutheran College.

Sullivan comes in with three years of collegiate cross country experience under her belt. She was named Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Cross Country Freshman of the year in 2019. The Wauwatosa native was also a two-time All-Conference selection in 2019 and 2021 for the Warriors.

Up Next:
Next week, the squad will be traveling to Green Bay for the Phoenix Invitational on Friday, Sep. 9.

The MUTFXC Alumni Run returns this season on Saturday, Sep. 24 at Doyne Park at 4 p.m.

Keep up with the Marquette cross country program through social media by following on Twitter (@MUTFXC) and Instagram (@MUTFXC) and `liking' on Facebook (/MUTFXC).

Marquette Entries:
Men:
Grant Brawley
Jadon Conroy
Cade Ferron
Nathan Hirsch
Sean Kellogg
Zak Kindl
Thomas Leonard
Tyler Re
Greg Van Hollen
Ronald Walters
Braden Schreiber
Alex Watros
Dan Weizeorick
David Zeller

Women:
Emily Capper
Audrey Grimm
Kate Jochims
Lexi Keppler
Gianna Konen
Mallory Lafever
Carol Ludington
Laurel Moneysmith
Emily Noone
Anna Penzkover
Gretchen Pfeiffer
Mikaela Sullivan
Marissa Valentini