Flyer fall sports have conquered A-10 conference in 2009

November 5, 3:37 PMDayton Flyers ExaminerBrendan Bergen

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XC's Chris Lemon became the Flyers' first-ever conference champion on Saturday in Saint Louis.

Photo courtesy of the Atlantic 10 Conference

With all the hoopla surrounding the beginnings of the men's basketball season, it has been somewhat overlooked that several Flyer fall sports have earned conference championships or came very close to clinching titles in the past week or so.

Some highlights:

• Women's cross country captured its very first team title in the Atlantic 10 Cross Country Championships last Saturday on the campus of Saint Louis University. Junior Maureen Bulgrin placed third overall to lead the Flyers past a favored Richmond squad trying to defend its 2008 championship. The women's team accrued 72 points to beat second-place Charlotte by 26. Head Coach Ann Alyanak was named the conference's Coach of the Year.
   
• The men's team placed third overall at the same event, which stands as the team's best-ever finish at A-10's, and junior Chris Lemon came away with the program's first-ever individual championship as three Flyers were named to the All-Conference squad. Redshirt freshman Greg Roeth was also named the A-10 Rookie of the Year at the meet. 
   
• Women's soccer clinched its first regular season A-10 Championship since 2004 after a 3-0 shutout against Xavier on Oct. 31. It was the Flyers' 14th shutout of the season, as the team leads the nation in goals against average. The team will hold the No. 1 seed and a bye in the upcoming conference tournament, which will be held on the campus of UNC Charlotte. The annual conference awards were handed out yesterday and the Flyers dominated the recognitions, picking up three of the five Player of the Year honors and placing four athletes on the A-10 First Team. Head Coach Mike Tucker was also named the Coach of the Year for the third time in his career at UD. 
   
• The men's soccer team posted an impressive shutout of No. 11 Charlotte on senior night and then backed up that performance with a 1-0 win against an always-tough Saint Louis team to put them in line to capture the A-10 regular season title. The Flyers will play Xavier at home on Friday with the opportunity to clinch at least a share of the crown.
   
• Flyer football downed San Diego 21-14 on Saturday at Welcome Stadium to remain a perfect 5-0 in the Pioneer Football League. They are tied with Butler and Drake atop the conference standings, and all three will play each other in the next three weeks to determine the league champion.
   
• After a 3-0 sweep against LaSalle on Nov. 2, Dayton's volleyball team remains in control of the A-10. They are tied with Saint Louis atop the standings, but hold the tie-break dating back to a 3-2 win over the Billikens on Oct. 17 at the Frericks Center. With two wins on the road this past weekend, the team improved its record to 21-3 overall and 11-1 in the A-10 with just three conference games remaining.