Southern Illinois University
MVC Championships
Shemonia and Medina lead SIU cross country at MVC Championship
10/31/2015 | 12:00:00 | Cross Country
Final Results 
By Rico Cruz
SIUSalukis.com
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - A pair of top-five finishes from Brandon Shemonia and Oscar Medina was the highlight of the day for SIU cross country, as the men's team earned a fifth place finish, and the women's team finished ninth at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship in Evansville, Ind., on Saturday.
Shemonia led the Saluki men, finishing third in the 8K race with a time of 24:01.83 to earn his first career All-MVC Team honor. Medina finished just seconds behind, taking fifth with a time of 24:04.85 for his fourth career All-MVC honor. Josh Maier (27th), Jonathan Vara (53rd), Eli Hill (57th), and Denis O'Callaghan (63rd) rounded out the finishers for Southern.
"Oscar and Brandon ran great races today," SIU cross country coach David Beauchem said. "They just kept covering every race break, again and again. They got themselves in the top-five and then closed the race with a gutty last kick."
Krista Menghini wrapped up her final MVC Championship with a 24th place finish in the 5K race with her time of 17:50.95. The senior was once again at the front, leading the way for the Saluki women. Natalia Hajduk was Southern's second best finisher, taking 58th place in a time of 19:13.94. Hillary Merrill (67th), Alexandra Martel (71st), Molly Barnes (74th), Sasha Lanning (75th), and Emily Settle (79th) were the rest of SIU's finishers.
"Krista got out in the lead group and covered the first break away," Beauchem said. "She hung on from there, but couldn't quite get to the second or third break, but she held on and ran a strong race."
Up next for the Salukis is a trip back to Lawrence, Kan., for the NCAA Regional on Nov. 13. Southern will look to have a couple of runners qualify for the NCAA Championship in Louisville, Ky., on Nov. 21.
"We are looking forward to the NCAA Regional," Beauchem said. "Oscar was All-Region last year. Oscar and Bandon have both shown that they can race at that level and they are excited for the opportunity. Krista is looking forward to a final race opportunity in her great SIU career. She has a chance to put together her best race."
Players Mentioned
