Cross Country Teams Add Seven

OMAHA, Neb. -- Creighton Cross Country head coach Chris Gannon has signed a talented recruiting class featuring four men and three women who will enroll this fall.

Joining the men's cross country program are Matthew Lobojko, Ryan Montera, Henry Slagle and Jake Ziebarth, while Jaedan Bunda, Abby Parker and Kat Shein will join the women's cross country team.

"On both the men's and women's side, we are excited about the season ahead," said Gannon. "We had a great spring on the track, notching 30+ all-time school marks and look to keep that going. Both squads lose just one runner from their BIG EAST top seven. The graduation of school record holder Chase Howard will be big shoes to fill on the men's side but Chase also helped set a new standard and raise the bar this past spring in both workouts and racing."

Matthew Lobojko – Highlands Ranch HS, Highlands Ranch Colo.
• Qualified for multiple state meets in both cross country and track.
• Completed a half-marathon in February.
• Along with fellow recruit Ryan Montera, has done most of his racing at altitude.
• PR's of 16:07 (5K), 9:36 (3,200) and 4:27 (1,600).

Ryan Montera – Legacy HS, Broomfield Colo.
• Will enter Creighton as the highest-rated and fasted Bluejay recruit in program history.
• Placed seventh in the Colorado State cross country meet as a senior, then was all-state in track in both the 1,600 (fourth place) and 3,200 (third place).
• Competed at The Outdoors National track meet at the University of Oregon, winning his section and placing seventh in the two-mile to miss All-America accolades by one spot.
• His two-mile race time ranks 16th nationally for the class of 2021.
• PR's of 15:41 (5k), 9:13 (3,200), 9:09 (2 mile) and 4:13 (1,600).

Henry Slagle – Creighton Prep HS, Omaha Neb.
• Won multiple all-state and all-conference honors in cross country.
• Helped team to a third place finish at the state track meet as a senior.
• A recipient of the prestigious Scott scholarship.
• Finished 11th at the 2020 Class A state cross country meet and sixth in the 1,600 in the 2021 Class A state track meet.
• PR's of 16:13 (5k) and 4:23 (1,600).

Jake Ziebarth – Barrington HS, Barrington Ill.
• Had a breakout senior season on a team that finished second or better in every meet this year.
• Is third Barrington High School product currently in the Creighton cross country program, joining fellow freshman Kat Shein and senior Aidan King.
• PR's of 15:03 (3 miles) and 4:24 (1,600).

"Across the board, this will be one of the best men's recruiting classes in school history," commented Gannon. "All four of these guys had big jumps in performances during their senior season. Henry, Jake and Matthew will all add great depth to our roster and be competing for a spot on the BIG EAST team. Ryan is obviously an elite talent and should have a significant impact, early on. One of our biggest challenges will be bringing Jake, Matthew and Ryan into the fold as their HS seasons ran so far into the summer, we may not race them early in the season as we focus on important meets later in the year."

Jaedan Bunda – Skutt Catholic HS, Omaha Neb.
• Finished second in the 2020 Class B state cross country meet, but won all other competitions she participated in.
• Helped team to state runner-up finishes in both 2017 and 2020, and third place in both 2018 and 2019.
• Finished 16th at state in 2017.
• Took eighth in state in 2019 in the 1,600, and also was eighth in both 2019 and 2021 in the 3,200.
• PR's of 18:47 (5k), 11:40 (3,200) and 5:27 (1,600).

Abby Parker – Carmel HS, Carmel Ind.
• Finished 40th at the 2020 Indiana State High School Championships^., helping Carmel capture the 2020 state cross country title.
• Ran for one of the top high school programs in the country.
• PR's of 18:48 (5K) and 11:17 (3,200).

Kat Shein – Barrington HS, Barrington Ill.
• Shein was a multi-time all league performer in cross country and track, and was the 2019 league champ in cross country.
• Shein put together a fantastic track season as a senior, notching PRs in both the 800 (2:21) and 1600 (5:09).
• Also owns a 3-mile PR of 18:41.

"Jaedan, Abby and Kat all come from incredible HS programs," said Gannon. "This 'championship' pedigree, mindset and commitment to excellence, will benefit our women's program greatly. Individually, each one of these runners adds depth to our roster and all three could be competing for a spot on our BIG EAST team. Developmentally, each of them have great potential, thanks to great high school coaches who do things the right way."

"Despite a year full of unknowns that came with pandemic, I couldn't be happier with the incoming class," noted assistant coach Matthew Fayers. "Each year we have looked at raising the bar and this class is another example of that. Ranging from some of the most talented in-state runners to national caliber athletes, this class has us very excited for the future!"

Both programs will look to continue their success on-and-off the course this fall. The Bluejays have ranked in the top-three nationally for combined program GPA in two of the last three seasons, and earlier this week the men's cross country program earned the BIG EAST Team Academic Excellence Award.

Creighton starts the fall schedule on September 3rd in Iowa City, Iowa, at the Hawkeye Invitational.

Players Mentioned

Jaedan Bunda

Chase Howard

Aidan King

Matthew Lobojko

Ryan Montera

Abby Parker

Kat Shein

Henry Slagle

Jake Ziebarth

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