Detroit's Creagh and Valparaiso's Richardson Collect Runner of the Week Honors

INDIANAPOLIS -- Detroit senior Colin Creagh (Chesterfield, Twp., Mich.) is the Horizon League Men’s Runner of the Week, while Valparaiso senior Jessica Richardson (Columbus, Ind.) is the Horizon League Women’s Runner of the Week for the week of Oct. 13-19. Richardson collects the award for the third time this season.

The Detroit men’s cross country team competed at the Canisius Alumni Classic this past weekend. The squad placed second overall while competing against runners from Canisius, Niagara and the University of Buffalo cross country and track club. The Titans closed out the meet with 35 points in the 8K event.

Creagh won his first collegiate race at the Classic to mark back-to-back years a Titan has come away with the title. The senior ran the 8K course in a time of 25:06, just four seconds shy of his personal record and five seconds ahead of the runner-up. Creagh ran the entire race in the front pack against 51 fellow competitors.

Valparaiso’s women’s cross country squad raced at the Bradley Classic last Friday. In a field of 30 teams, the Crusaders had a team finish of 23rd and collected 578 points.

Richardson continued to lead Valparaiso at another event, placing seventh overall in a field of 294 runners. The senior finished the 6K course in a time of 21:12.4, breaking her personal record by almost 40 seconds. She also crossed the finish line setting the second-fastest Crusader time ever in a 6K race.

Detroit and Valparaiso continue competition at the Horizon League Championships November 1. The women’s race begins at 11:00 a.m. CT followed by the men’s at 12:00 p.m. CT. The Championships take place in Kenosha, Wis. at the Wayne E. Dannehl National Cross Country Course. Detroit will look to defend its first-ever cross country championship title at the event.

Top Male Runners of the Week:
Alex Bashqawi, UIC (Fr.): Top men’s finisher for UIC at the Bradley Invitational, finishing the 8K in a time of 25:19.4.
Adam Bruno, Valparaiso (So.): Was the top Crusader finisher at the Bradley Classic finishing the 8K in a time of 26:25.5 for 107th place overall.
Austin McLean, Youngstown State (Jr.): Highest finishing runner for Youngstown State at the Pre-Nationals (White Race). Completed the 8K in a time of 25:37.3 to place 24th overall.
Marcus Paulson, Milwaukee (Sr.): Was the top Horizon League finisher at the Bradley Classing, placing 13th overall. Completed the 8K in a time of 25:25.0 against some of the top teams in the nation.

Top Female Runners of the Week:
Tess Ehrhardt, UIC (Sr.): Was the top overall finisher for the Flames at the Bradley Invitational. Finished the 6K event in a time of 21:50.8.
Sydnie Fetherolf, Detroit (Fr.): Led Detroit for the second time this year at the Canisius Alumni Classic, finishing the 5K in a time of 19:06 for third place overall.
Anna Pompeo, Youngstown State (Sr.): Had her best finish of the season at the Pre-Nationals (White Race). Placed 19th overall and crossed the 6K finish line in a time of 22:09.3.
Sammy Woller, Milwaukee (Sr.): Recorded a new personal record in the 6K at the Bradley classic. Finished the race in a time of 22:16.4 for 45th place overall.
Ashlyn Woods, Cleveland State (So.): Cleveland State’s top finisher for the fifth-consecutive race at the #JennaStrong Fall Classic. Completed the 5K in a time of 19:05, ranking eighth on the Vikings’ top performance list.

Men’s Runners of the Week
Aug. 25: Andrew Bowman, Oakland
              Austin McLean, Youngstown State
Sept. 2: Austin McLean, Youngstown State
             Ben Kendell, Detroit
Sept. 9: Kyle Hauser, UIC
Sept. 15: Ben Kendell, Detroit
Sept. 22: Alex Bashqawi, UIC
Sept. 29: Andrew Bowman, Oakland
Oct. 6: Austin McLean, Youngstown State
Oct. 13: Colin Creagh, Detroit

Women’s Runners of the Week
Aug. 25: Ashley Burr, Oakland
Sept. 2: McKinsie Klim, Youngstown State
Sept. 9: Tess Ehrhardt, UIC
Sept. 15: Jessica Richardson, Valparaiso
Sept. 22: Tess Ehrhardt, UIC
Sept. 29: Jessica Richardson, Valparaiso
Oct. 6: Michelle Klim, Youngstown State
Oct. 13: Jessica Richardson, Valparaiso