October 23, 2007

Greenville College's men's and women's cross country squads will look to continue their domination of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Championships this Saturday, October 27, at Hillsboro Country Club in Hillsboro, Ill. The Panther men will be aiming for their 11th consecutive conference championship, while the women will try for their fourth consecutive championship and 12th overall.

Looking to ruin Greenville's reign on the race paths will be Principia College and Fontbonne University on the men's side, and on the women's side Principia, Fontbonne and Webster University. The hunt for the individual crown is anyone's race, but Principia's Peter Swank and Greenville's Josh Bond seem to be favorites in the men's competition, while Fontbonne's Rachel Hanson, a freshman and two-time SLIAC Runner of the Week, is hoping to take home the women's championship.

It's coming down to the wire in men's and women's soccer and volleyball, and the battle for the fourth and final spot in the conference tournament is becoming heated with each passing day.

Webster, Principia and Greenville have a lock on the top three seeds in the SLIAC Volleyball Tournament to be held Saturday, November 3, but which team will claim the No. 1 seed and hosting rights is still up in the air. The fourth spot should come down to Fontbonne and Maryville. The two teams split in conference play this season, but the Saints picked up a big win against Principia this week that could help them down the road.

The Principia men's soccer team is the only undefeated team (8-0) remaining in the conference this fall. The Panthers were ranked No. 8 in the latest NCAA Division III Central Region Poll and have secured the No. 1 seed in the SLIAC Tournament. Fontbonne (7-1) has also secured a spot in the tournament, with the final two spots up for grabs among Westminster, Maryville and Webster. The Saints need a victory versus Blackburn this week to qualify, while Westminster and Webster will do battle on Wednesday in what ultimately could be the deciding game for the two teams.

Webster, Principia and Maryville could end in a three-way tie for first place in the regular season standings, but all three squads are assured a spot in the conference tournament. Greenville has secured the fourth spot, after defeating Westminster last weekend 4-0.