ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Webster University men's and women's cross-country teams concluded the regular season at the 2024 SLIAC Men's and Women's Cross-Country Championships on November 2 at Litchfield Country Club. To be an all-conference selection in these respective sports, an individual must finish inside the top-16 overall spots at the SLIAC XC Championships. At the conclusion of the men's race, WU's Ethan Nieroda and William Howells earned all-conference honors.
This season, the two-time SLIAC Runner of the Week in Nieroda secured a First Team All-Conference honor by finishing sixth-overall with a new season-best time of 26:46.15. With that time, Nieroda shattered his previous season-best by 40 seconds and conquered his first race under 27:00 this season. With this All-Conference selection, Nieroda secures his second straight First Team All-Conference selection.
"Ethan is a very hard worker and has established himself as a top performer in the conference. This is his second consecutive 1st Team All-Conference recognition, and I thoroughly believe he still has a lot more that he is capable of. He has a very bright future." said Head Coach
Kyle Robinson
The Webster Groves native in Howells secured a Second Team All-Conference selection by finishing 15th overall with a time of 27:41.33. With this finishing time, Howells achieved a new season-best by improving 44 seconds as this race was the first time he ran under 28:00 this season.
"I am very happy to see Billy get awarded 2nd Team All-Conference. He has worked extremely hard since he joined the team to be as competitive as possible. He has had a good season so far — I'm excited to see what else he accomplishes at Regionals and in the upcoming Track & Field season." said Robinson
In addition to the All-Conference teams, the SLIAC Conference office awards one member of each school that is a conference sport to the All-Sportsmanship Team. To be selected for this award, an individual must display the ideals of sportsmanship that includes fairness, civility, honesty, unselfishness, respect, and responsibility all season long.
This season, WU's Johnny Imboden and Abigail Szydlowski were named to the SLIAC All-Sportsmanship Team.
"Johnny and Abby's inclusion on the SLIAC All-Sportsmanship team is a fitting one. Anyone who knows either of them knows that they are both hard working, caring, and strong leaders for their teammates. They are both a joy to work with at practices and meets and will always be an important part of our team." said Robinson.
The Gorloks are set to travel to the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship hosted by Augustana College on Saturday, November 16 starting at 11:00 AM at Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island, Illinois.
