EIU Men's Cross Country Adds Three
Monday, November 30 2015 - NCAA Midwest RegionalEIU Men's Cross Country Adds Three
Tyler Lay, Raul Rosendo and Robby Prescott to join EIU
11/24/2015 10:37:00 AM
CHARLESTON, Ill. – Fresh off one of the best seasons in recent Eastern Illinois men's cross country history Panthers head coach Erin Howarth has announced the addition of three runners that will join the program next season to compete in cross country and track. Set to join the Panthers program are Tyler Lay, Robby Prescott and Raul Rosendo. EIU placed second at this year's Ohio Valley Conference Championships and was 13th at the NCAA Midwest Regional. EIU was ranked 15th in the final USTFCCCA Midwest Region poll.
Lay competes at McHenry High School where he posted the best season of his high school career as a senior. Overcoming injuries which set back his junior cross country and outdoor track seasons Lay advanced to the IHSA Class 3A State Championships this year placing 44th with a time of 15:02. Earlier in the season he posted a solid time of 15:04 running on the Detweiller Cross Country Course during a September meet.
Prescott competes at Downers Grove North High School where he is coached by former EIU cross country runner John Sipple. Prescott was a two-sport athlete early in his prep career running cross country in the fall and playing baseball in the spring. As a senior he was injured late in the season and did not compete with his team at the IHSA Class 3A state meet where they placed 17th. He did advance to the state meet as a junior. During the early portion of the 2015 season he broke 15 minutes in the 3-mile for the first time with a 14:59 mark at the First to the Finish Invite.
Rosendo competes at Joliet Central High School where he has been an IHSA Class 3A state qualifier three times in cross country. He was a three-time All-Conference performer and earned All-Regional and All-Sectional honors as a junior and senior. This past season he became the first Joliet Central runner to win the school's home invite in the 22-year history of the event. On the track Rosendo advanced to the IHSA Class 3A State Championships as a junior in the 3200m with a time of 9:33.21. He holds a personal best of 4:22.59 in the 1600m run.