West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University's cross country teams participated in their first Ohio Valley Conference Championship on October 28, 2023. The men's team secured a seventh-place finish, while the women's team placed eighth among ten competing teams.

Coach Trey Brokaw reflected on the results: "It was a bittersweet outcome this weekend for our team. I feel like a broken record. Since arriving here at WIU two years ago, our individuals are improving; some are improving dramatically and we saw that again this weekend. We just can't quite get over the hump and be a top-tier team, yet."

Leading the men's efforts was Logan Lommel, who achieved 17th place overall with his second-best career time of 24:29.6 for the 8k race. Aylana Cezar paced the women’s team with a 20th place finish in the 6k event, clocking in at 22:35.1.

"Logan and Aylana have both done a fantastic job leading our teams this year," Brokaw noted. "Both runners put themselves in a great position and were running top-10 until the last portion of the race. They couldn't quite finish it today and sometimes that is how it goes."

The Leathernecks anticipate returning all fourteen runners next season due to NCAA eligibility rules, including five freshmen who gained valuable experience from this championship.

Sophomore Robert Perry's performance was notable as he finished closely behind Lommel with a time of 24:40.6, tying him for fifth all-time in program history alongside Dan Albert (1974). Freshman Logan Beckmier completed his race in 25:11.0, marking personal bests along with teammates Isaiah Moorman and Sean Hudspath.

For the women’s side, Aurora Dominguez set a personal best of 23:09.1 as part of her strong showing for Western Illinois University.

Coach Brokaw emphasized future aspirations by stating: "Winning or being highly successful, it's about culture, attitude, mindset; everyone at the Division I level is talented and works hard... The future is bright for our program."