Cross Country
The Men’s Cross Country team registered its second straight Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championship, placing five runners in the top six finishers of the nineteam, 99-runner field.
Franciscan graduate student Liam Galligan earned the event’s individual title and PAC Runner of the Year honors for the second straight year.
Eclipsing these honors, on November 20, 2021, Galligan became the first men’s cross-country runner in Franciscan history to earn All-American status, as he placed 25th at the NCAA Division III National Championship in Louisville, Kentucky.
Competing against 289 runners, Galligan was able to fight his way to the lead pack and finish the 8K course with a time of 24:12.7. He joins his sister Grace Galligan (women’s cross country), Bill Jones (track and field), and Leo Herrmann (soccer) as the only four All-Americans in the Division III era at Franciscan University.
On the women’s team, Alison Bryant earned her first trip to the National Championship, becoming the third Lady Baron to make nationals in school history. She placed 75th in the 293-runner field.
Liam Galligan
Lady Baron Tennis
The Lady Baron tennis team clinched its sixth consecutive conference championship and its second Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship title.
After three weather postponements, the championship finally took place in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, November 6, 2021, resulting in a 5-0 win for the Lady Barons against Washington and Jefferson College.
The Lady Barons’ “preparation for matches is as good as any team I’ve coached,” said head coach Scott Greve. “When we get to practice, they focus, they do what’s needed to prepare for their match. And when they get into the matches, it shows.”
Greve says the team’s approach to their sport extends beyond the tennis court’s white-lined boundaries. “They’re committed to serving God and each other, and even to serving their opponents.”
The Lady Barons are set to make the program’s 6th appearance in the NCAA Division III Championships this spring semester, scheduled for May 12, 2022.
Men’s Soccer
The men’s soccer team capped an 11-6 season with its first appearance in a conference championship since the program began in 2007. The Barons lost to Bethany College 3-1 in the PAC Championship match at Trinity Health System Field on November 6.
Seven players earned All-PAC honors, including graduate student Sebastian Koehler and senior Nick Miller, who were named First Team All-PAC for the second season in a row.
“We made history within the men’s soccer program, including winning a conference tournament semifinal and hosting a conference tournament championship game,” says coach Brent Ridenour. “The future is very bright for Franciscan men’s soccer.”
Baron defender Joseph St. George.
Student Spotlight
Name: Mark Borek
Hometown: Hamburg, MI
Major: Master’s in Business Administration
Sport: Cross Country and Track
Honors: 2020 Kuzma Cup Winner, 2019-2020 PAC Scholar Athlete of the Year
On Running: “There are few things better than the conversations we have during runs. The brotherhood we develop in our joint suffering extends far beyond our running when we unite it to Christ’s suffering on the cross.”
Career Goal: To bridge the gap between technology and business and continue solving problems with software.
Patron Saint: St. Mark, St. Stephen, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux
