Akron // Penn State National
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Seniors Haley Hess (Curtice, Ohio) and Marc Migliozzi (Pittsburgh, Pa.) each registered career-best times to direct the efforts of the University of Akron women's and men's cross country teams at the Penn State National on Friday, Oct. 18.
Migliozzi traversed the men's 5.2-mile course at the Penn State Blue-White Course in a career-best time of 25:36.3 en route to a fourth-place finish, while Hess also garnered a career-low and team-best time of 21:32.1 to place 31st overall.
The Zips placed fifth in the men's team standings, their highest-ever finish at the Penn State National, while the Akron women earned an 11th-place showing.
Hess and senior Mackenzie Andrews (Toowoomba, Australia) battled down to the wire for top-team honors for the Zips with Hess crossing the line in 21:32.1 (31st) followed just over a second later by Andrews with a time of 21:33.5 (34th).
Junior Lindsey Scarton (Berea, Ohio), freshman Olivia Anaple (Blue Ash, Ohio) and redshirt junior Alyssa Thomas(Green, Ohio) rounded out Akron's scoring efforts registering times of 21:45.1, 22:44.1 and 22:54.7, respectively. Scarton and Anaple's performances represented career-best efforts.
Additionally, senior Varvara Lissichkina (Karaganda, Kazahkstan), freshman Morgan Jankowski (Brook Park, Ohio) and junior Leah Recker (Findlay, Ohio) posted career-best finishing times of 23:24.4, 23:38.8 and 24:03.1.
Following Migliozzi across the line for the Zips in a career-best time of 25:51.3 to place 13th overall was senior Nick Stricklen (Lexington, Ohio).
Culminating Akron's scoring efforts with career-low times of 26:09.7 (32nd), 26:35.3 (45th) and 26:56.3 (60th) was junior Andre Bollam-Godbott (Brunswick, Ohio) and freshmen Chase Easterling (Mt. Orab, Ohio) and Aidan Harr (New Philadelphia, Ohio).
Additionally, redshirt junior Jacob Ondash (Hiram, Ohio) recorded a career-best time of 27:23.4 (83rd).?
Ball State // Cardinal Classic
MUNCIE, Ind. - - Friday turned out to be a perfect day for a race and the Ball State cross country team took advantage of the ideal conditions and then some at the Muncie Elks Country Club.
Entering the meet, the Cardinals had not had a cross country runner break the 22-minute barrier in a 6K race since Ali Bishel clocked in at 21:47.59 on Nov. 14, 2010 at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional.
In just the third 6K race held at the Muncie Elks Country Club, three Ball State runners took advantage of the great weather and speedy course to undercut the mark led by a winning effort from junior Cayla Eckenroth.Eckenroth crossed the line in a career-fast 21:36.2, shaving nearly a minute off her previous collegiate-best 6K time of 22:35.3, to record Ball State's fastest run at the distance since a 21:04.07 clocked by Bishel on Nov. 23, 2009 at the NCAA Championships.
Ball State freshman Vivian Van Eck was the next to cross the finish line, doing so in 21:44.0 to better her previous career-best by 1:18.1.
Maritza Rodriguez continued her strong senior campaign, finishing in a career-fast 21:50.2 to take third overall, as the Cardinals swept all three podium spots. The time was 19.5 faster than her previous career best mark.
Rounding out a 1-2-3-4 finish for the Cardinals was senior Hannah Cummings who also recorded a career-best effort at 22:02.7.
Ball State's fifth scored runner, freshman Juliana Stogsdill, was the sixth runner to cross the line in a career-fast 22:19.3, but was fifth among scored runners to give the Cardinals a perfect 15 points in the race victory.
Overall, the Cardinals top five runners turned in an average time of 21:55 on the way to a dominating team finish. Northern Kentucky was second among the five-team field at 55 points, followed by Miami (71), Anderson (125) and Transylvania (127).
In addition to its five scored runners, the Cardinals received personal-best times from senior Peyton Kneadler (7th - 22:22.1), sophomore Emma Cunningham (10th - 23:03.6) and redshirt-freshman Meghan Hedrick (11th - 23:10.8).
Sophomore Maddie Aul rounded out Ball State's runners in 19th place at 24:05.2.
The Ball State cross country team will now turn its attention to the biggest race of the year, the Mid-American Conference Championships hosted by Northern Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 2. The women's 6K race is currently set for 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT.?
Bowling Green // Bradley Pink Classic
PEORIA, Ill. – The Bowling Green State University men's and women's cross country teams took to the XC course at Newman Golf Course for the 2019 Bradley Pink Classic on Friday (Oct. 18) afternoon. The men's team took 10th place in team scoring out of 20 teams in the field. The women's team also finished 10th in team scoring out of 23 teams.
The Men's 8k Red Race event had 165 competitors in total. The Falcons would earn a team score of 272 earning them a 10th place finish out of 20 teams in the field. BGSU bested hosting school Bradley at 16th place.
Individual Performances
Coming in first for the Bowling Green Falcons in the men's 8k was sophomore Cesar Arellano coming in 25th overall with a time of 24:55.1. This was his third race of the season, and the first time he has placed first for BGSU in team scoring this season. He bested his previous time at Bradley by over half a minute from a year ago.
Junior Kyle Hibinger came in second in team scoring for Bowling Green finishing 57th overall with a time of 25:26.9. He shaved a little over a full minute from a year ago at the Bradley Pink Classic.
Senior Jonathan Voth finished third for Bowling Green and 64th overall with a time of 25:37.1. He improved on his time in last season's Bradley Pink Classic by almost half a minute (25:54.6).
Junior Gabe Garbarino came in fourth in team scoring for BGSU at 69th overall. His finishing time was 25:42.8. He also improved on his time in Bradley from a year ago (26:04.3).
Finishing fifth for Bowling Green was senior Raymond Berling. He came in 96th place overall with a time of 26:02.9. He improve don his time in Bradley from last season (26:13.2).
Two places behind Berling was freshman AJ Haffa. Finishing 98th overall, he earned a time of 26:03.7 and recording a new personal best for an 8k race by one second (26:04.8). This just one race after his last best at the Louisville XC Classic (Oct. 5).
Other in the field for BGSU were freshman Joseph Johnson III who would finish 109th with a time of 26:20.6, and Vince Manning finishing 135th with a time of 26:55.6. Manning earned a new personal best beating out his previous time in an 8k from the Spartan Invite earlier this season.
Coach Juan Carrillo's Take
"Things didn't go as we expected today. Coming off a great team performance at Louisville two weeks ago, today we couldn't match that. There were some things we did right like pass people throughout the race but also as a result of a conservative start. We are coming off from a hard week of training last week and the tired legs showed today. Now is about bouncing back from this and really let all the training we've done take effect in two weeks. Alexander Haffa ran a personal best and Cesar Arellano was our top guy running th cond fastest 8k time of his life."
The Women's 6k Red Race event saw 180 participants in total. The Falcons finished 10th in team scoring out of 23 teams total earning 286 points. Bradley took first place in team scoring on their home course.
Individual Performances
Coming in first for Bowling Green was sophomore Sydney Niekamp finishing 23rd overall with a time of 21:52.2. She earned a new personal best in a 6k race having bested her time from this season's Spartan Invite (22:47.7). This was just her third race for BGSU.
Not far behind in 28th place overall was sophomore Katerina Shuble finishing second for the Falcons. She finished with a time of 21:59.1 earning a new personal best in a 6k race. Her previous best 6k was in last year's Bradley Pink Classic (22:05.2).
Coming in third for BGSU was junior Sarah Hunsley finishing 59th overall with a time of 22:31.5. This was just her second race of the 2019 season.
Finishing fourth for the Falcons was redshirt junior Allison Holahan. She finished 88th overall in 23:01.8. She earned a new personal best for a 6k race having bested her time from the NIU Huskie Challenge earlier this season when she ran it in 23:31.5.
Coming in fifth for the Falcons was redshirt sophomore Allie Zofkie finishing 95th overall with a time of 23:05.9. She too earned her best finish in a 6k race since last season's Bradley Pink Classic.
Also competing for Bowling Green was redshirt sophomore Megan Aalberts who finished 116th overall with a time of 23:24.1.
Redshirt Freshman Sydnie Firmentfinished 119th overall with a time of 23:29.2. This was just her fourth race for Bowling Green and her time running at Bradley.
Head Coach Lou Snelling's Take
"Sydney took a great step today, huge PR, she was aggressive from the gun. As a team we had our ups and downs, so not a perfect day. We'll reflect a bit on the day and then get squarely focused on MAC."
Up Next
The Bowling Green State University men's and women's XC teams will have two final weeks to prepare for the MAC Championships which will take place Saturday, Nov. 2, in Illinois. The Falcons look to build on the momentum from these last two meets.?
Buffalo // Penn State National
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo men's and women's cross country teams traveled to State College, Pa. for the Penn State National Invite. Both squads had strong showings against tough programs.
In the men's 5.2 mile race, the Bulls ran their way to a seventh place finish. Leading the way for the Bulls was Caleb Covell with a time of 25:35.2 as he crossed the line for third place. Covell jumped nine spots from the two-mile mark to the finish line. Behind him was William Hilbert who finished in 22nd place in a time of 26:01.4. Teammates Thomas Flannery (41st place – 26:25.5), Cal Puskar (54th place – 26:47.0) and Christopher Nowak (55th place – 26:48.7) rounded out the top-five for the Bulls. With an even bigger jump from the two-mile mark to the finish line was Christopher Nowak as he jumped from 99th place to 55th. The Bulls competed well as they finished right behind USTFCCCA No. 4 Georgia Tech of the NCAA South Region. The Bulls beat No. 10 Lehigh, No. 11 Saint Joseph's (PA) and No. 12 Bucknell of the Mid-Atlantic Region. The Bulls currently sit at No. 14 in the NCAA Northeast Region.
"Caleb showed great strength over the race, closing his last mile very well while moving up to third in a competitive field," Associate Head Coach Todd Witzleben said. "Liam [Hilbert] and Tom [Flannery] had their strongest races of the season, so it's starting to come together. We have an important phase of training leading into the MAC Championships."
In the women's 6k race, the Bulls finished in 15th place. Freshman Alexia Hecico finished in 51st place in a time of 21:57.4. Rounding out the top-five for the Bulls were Meghan LaTuso (81st place – 22:28.2), Dana Lynch (87th place – 22:31.7), Riley Jones (102nd place – 22:48.7) and Maxine Dupuis (113th place – 22:57.4). The team beat MAC foe Kent State as they had lost to them last year. They will see Kent State on Saturday, Nov. 2 at the MAC Championships.
"Not our best day," stated Head Coach Vicki Mitchell. "We need to be more aggressive and stronger in the middle stages of the race."
The Bulls' next race is tomorrow as they travel to local Canisius College for the Canisius Alumni Challenge that begins at noon.
Central Michigan // Bradley Pink Classic
PEORIA, Ill. – Lauren Beckmann finished 25th to pace the Central Michigan women's cross country team at the Bradley Pink Classic on Friday.
The Chippewas finished seventh in the 23-team field in the 6K Red Race. Bradley was first.
"They ran really well," CMU coach Jenny Swieton said of her athletes. "I think we made some really big leaps forward today, which is awesome."
Beckmann, a sophomore from Waterloo, Ind., put herself in rare CMU cross country company in finishing in 21:56.8, a personal record.
"Lauren Beckmann moved into the top 20 all-time in the 6K, she had a huge PR," said Swieton. "I think, for Lauren, that was really big."
All six of the Chippewas' top runners finished top 100 in the 180-runner field. Freshman Emily Shelton (22:09.8) was 38th, freshman Maddy Boyd (22:15.2) placed 43rd, junior Ana Garcia (22:39.8) was 70th, junior Carissa Gobbi (22:55.8) was 85th, junior Morgan Merlino (23:02.0) came in 89th, and sophomore Lexie Jorgens (23:17.0) was 105th.
"A lot of girls PR'ed today by a minute-ish or more, so I feel like almost everybody stood out," Swieton said. "Across the board, we ran really well."
Swieton said she learned a lot about her young team at the meet, which, at the end of the day, is the entire purpose for competing.
"They're tough as nails man," she said. "They can go out way too fast and handle it. That's a veteran trait, and for such a young team, it's pretty impressive that they were able to do that."
The Chippewas' Lauren MacDonald and Maija Rettelle ran in the White Race, placing 17th and 19th, respectively. MacDonald finished in 23:37.9, Rettelle in 23:42.8. The race comprised 106 runners.
Next
The CMU men will run at the Pre-National Invitational on Saturday (12:50 p.m.) at Indiana State, while the women look forward to the Eastern Michigan University Fall Classic on Oct. 25 in Ypsilanti, Mich.?
Kent State // Penn State National
University Park, Pa. – The Kent State men's and women's cross country teams concluded their regular season at the Penn State National Open.
The men's team finished in 10th place, while the women's team finished in 16th place.
Drew Johnson led the way for the Flashes, finishing in 24th place (26:03.8). Clark Bookman grabbed a 34th-place finish (26:14.1), while Alex Stamper finished in 43rd place (26:29.9).
The women's squad was paced by Nicole Fleming, who secured a 67th-place finish (22:17.2). She has led the Flashes in each of the last two races. Leah Lisle finished in 73rd place (22:22.1).?
Miami // Cardinal Classic
MUNCIE, Ind. - With Miami also preparing for Saturday's Pre-Nationals, several RedHawks got a run in at Ball State's Cardinal Classic on Friday.
The Miami men finished first, ahead of Butler and Transylvania, with a stellar 20 points. Zach Robertson finished third overall to lead Miami but came in as the first overall scorer due to unattached/unscored runners at first and second. Jake Bertelsen also had a top-five run for the 'Hawks.
The RedHawk women finished third out of five teams, trailing Ball State and Northern Kentucky. True freshman Elena Pazman was Miami's highest finisher, crossing the line in ninth place.?
Northern Illinois // Bradley Pink Classic
PEORIA, Ill. – Seven members of the Northern Illinois University women's cross country team competed at the Bradley Pink Classic on Friday afternoon (Oct. 18) at the Newman Golf Course. Junior Meagan Biddle (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Hoffman Estates) was the highest finishing Huskie, crossing the line over the six-kilometer course in a time of 22:12.7.
As a team, NIU earned an 18th-place finish in the 23-team field with four runners finishing in the top-100. Freshman Brooke Lytle (Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha West) was the second Huskie across the line, finishing 52nd in 22:25.5. Junior Nora Finegan (Palatine, Ill./Fremd) claimed 80th with a time of 22:50.1 and senior Mercer Mack (Eureka, Ill./Eureka) took 94th, clocking in at 23:04.9.
The other half of NIU's roster will compete tomorrow at the Under Armour Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind. The Huskies are competing in the Women's Blue Race which is slated to begin at 10 a.m. CT. That race will feature four of the top 10 and 10 of the top 30 in the latest United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Poll.
