Buffalo // Canisius Alumni Challenge
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo cross country teams visited local Delaware Park Golf Course where they raced in the annual Canisius College Alumni Challenege. This race gave the Bulls' depth chart a solid outing to gain experience.
In the first race of the day, the women's team claimed ninth place out of 13 teams. Rachel Barich led the way for the Bulls as she finished the 5k race in 19:54.3, good for 30th place. Right behind Barich was Samantha Vetter who finished in 42nd place (20:17.3) and Saroja Rao who claimed 52nd place (20:38.6). Rounding out the Bulls' top-five were Megan Kane (78th place – 21:40.6) and Marlee Shaffer (95th place – 22:18.9).
In the men's 8k race, Ryan Buzby led the charge for the Bulls as he ran a collegiate career-best 25:50.3, good for eighth place. Alex Hislop finished in 25th place in a time of 26:36.3. Leon Atkins (45th place – 27:02.0), Michael Hannon (54th place – 27:17.5) and Dhiren Dhamecha (70th place – 27:49.3) rounded out the top-five for the Bulls. Honorable mention to Nicholas Tobani as he finished with a career-best 8k time of 28:22.8, for 88th place.
The Bulls will travel to Ithaca, NY for the Reif Memorial Run hosted by Cornell. The race is set to start at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 25.
Central Michigan // Pre-Nationals
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Central Michigan men's cross country team finished seventh in the 20-team field at the Pre-National Invitational on Saturday at Indiana State's LaVern Gibson Championship Course.
The Chippewas finished with 200 points, 60 behind first place IUPUI. CMU was just 18 points behind Vanderbilt, which finished fifth with 182, and just two behind Oakland, which was sixth with 198.
"I thought we had a solid effort," CMU coach Jason Hartmann said. "I think there's a lot of things that we can improve upon going forward into the (Mid-American Conference) meet."
Senior Mark Beckmann placed 21st with a time of 25:31.0 to lead the CMU contingent in the 8K race.
Other Chippewa runners who finished in the top 100: Zachary Sleeman (25:54.4), 40th; Conor Naughton (25:56.9), 43rd; Adam Rzentkowski (26:02.7), 51st; Riad Rababeh (26:04.7), 53rd; Will Finch (26:32.2), 77th; and Chandler Lorf (26:55.7), 91st. The race comprised 132 runners.
"Naughton had a good day," Hartmann said. "He competed well, he's made some nice improvements and he's put himself in a good position to run well as we go forward in the championship part of our season."
The Chippewas will look to build off this race before heading into the vital stretch of their season.
"We can get a lot better in our fitness and our race strategies, and hopefully come a little bit closer together as a group and compete a lot better," Hartmann said.
The Chippewas will next go to the Eastern Michigan University Fall Classic on Oct. 25 before gearing up for the MAC Championships on Nov. 2 in Dekalb, Ill.
Eastern Michigan Men // Pre-Nationals
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's cross country team raced against a strong field at the 2019 Under Armour Pre-National Invitational Saturday, Oct. 19, finishing in 27th place with a team score of 657 points.
"Another great competitive learning experience for us competing in such a large and competitive field which included some of the very best cross country athletes and teams in the country," said head coach John Goodridge following the meet.
The Green and White competed against 10 nationally-ranked programs at the LaVern Gibson Championships Cross Country Course and were edged by No. 15 Indiana, who claimed 26th place with a team score of 626 points. The Eagles defeated their only Mid-American Conference opposition, as Miami University ended the 8K race in 34th position with a team total of 853 points.
Sophomore Andy Payne (Worthington, Ohio-Thomas Worthington) paced the Eagles on a dry track, finishing just outside the top-100 with a time of 24:52.1. Additionally, junior Owen Day (Ottawa, Ontario-International School of Dusseldorf) clocked in at 25:05.3 for 126th place, while freshman Josh Hill (Amherst, Ohio-Amherst Steele) clinched 130th place at 25:06.1. Sophomores Baldvin Magnusson (Hull, England-Hull University) and Eddie Zuercher (Rocky River, Ohio-Rocky River) weren't far apart as they finished with times of 25:16.7 and 25:17.0, respectively, before senior Austin Wicker (Pinckney, Mich.-Pinckney) and junior Solomon Costa (Gahanna, Ohio-Gahanna Lincoln) recorded times of 25:39.6 and 25:45.4, respectively.
Later in the day, Sophomore Chris Devaney (New Plymouth, New Zealand-New Plymouth) logged EMU's best time in the open race at 25:58.1, while fellow sophomore Noah Perrin (Akron, Ohio-Woodridge) also finished in the top-50 with a time of 26:15.1. Sophomores Luke Brown (Thornville, Ohio-Sheridan) and Joe Ingram (Cincinnati, Ohio-Anderson) concluded the event at 27:27.6 and 27:42.4, respectively, before junior Ian Cook (Worthington, Ohio-Thomas Worthington) finished with a time of 28:06.0.
Eastern returns to Washtenaw County Friday, Oct. 25 to host the EMU Fall Classic at Hudson Mills Metropark in Dexter, Mich.
Eastern Michigan Women // Pre-Nationals
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's cross country team faced its most challenging race of the season at the 2019 Under Armour Pre-National Invitational Saturday, Oct. 19, finishing the 6K event in 33rd place with a team score of 823 points.
"It was a disappointing day for us," said head coach Sue Parks. "We were in solid position as a team (18th) at the 4,000 meter mark, but we ran into some major trouble during the last part of the race. We are capable of much more but it all fell apart at the end today. It's not what we wanted, but all we can do is move forward and focus on getting ready for the MAC meet.
"Individually, graduate student Natalie Cizmas (Clinton Twp., Mich.-Chippewa Valley) had an excellent race against a national class field and junior Madison Distelrath (Fort Wayne, Ind.-Homestead) made a big step forward," added Parks. Sophomore Janay Hall (Fayetteville, N.C.-South View) had a strong showing in the open race. We are motivated to figure things out and be ready for a great team performance two weeks from now."
Cizmas registered EMU's fastest time at the LaVern Gibson Championships Cross Country Course as she finished in 25th place at 20:41.5, while Distelrath and redshirt senior Emily Smith (Somerset, England-Wells Cathedral School) logged times of 22:15.5 and 22:16.5, respectively. Freshman Esme Davies (Lake District, England-Queen Elizabeth Grammar School) placed 199th with a time of 22:21.9, while sophomore Emily DeLine (Newport, Mich.-Airport), senior Karlie Swanson (New South Wales, Australia-Bellingen), and sophomore Kaitlyn St. Bernard (Newport, Mich.-Jefferson) clocked in at 22:42.6, 22:44.8, and 22:51.4, respectively.
In the open race, Hall paced the Green and White with a time of 22:38.2, while Sophomore Lexi Seifert (Waterford, Pa.-Villa Maria Academy) also finished in the top-50 at 23:06.1. Additionally, sophomore Olivia Chandler (Brighton, Mich.-Brighton), freshman Linda Geissler (Weinheim, Germany-Werner-Heisenberg Gymnasium Weinheim), and senior Abbigail Stemple (Mason, Ohio-William Mason) recorded times of 23:30.0, 23:52.3, and 25:55.3, respectively.
Eastern returns to Washtenaw County Friday, Oct. 25 to host the EMU Fall Classic at Hudson Mills Metropark in Dexter, Mich.
Miami // Pre-Nationals
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Miami University finished a tough weekend of competition on Saturday with Under Armour Pre-Nationals on the campus of Indiana State University.
Going up against many of the strongest teams in the country in the loaded Blue Race field, the Miami women ended the day in 34th while the men came across in 35th.
Senior Carly Davis led the RedHawks with the highest finish of both men's and women's athletes, running a 21:29.2 to finish 100th in the 6K women's race. Emily Akin ran the best 8K time of her Miami career to be the second 'Hawk to cross the line, compiling a time of 22:00.1. Maegan Murphy, Katie Vitou, and Claire Linn rounded out the scorers for MU.
It was another senior that led the way on the men's side, as Ryan Sharkey paced the RedHawk pack with a time of 25:04.1. David Coffey came in right on Sharkey's heels, finishing one place behind him by just a half second. Anthony Camerieri was Miami's third finisher, while Alex Tam and Charlie Harders were the other scorers in Red and White.
In addition to the main race, a few RedHawks ran in the open division of the meet. Sebastian Francesconi impressed with a strong run of 25:38.9, the best mark of his collegiate career. Morgan Pohl also had a PR over on the women's side.
The RedHawks will take a week off before gearing up for the Mid-American Conference Championship on November 2. Northern Illinois will host this year's conference meet. The Miami men are the defending champions.
Northern Illinois // Pre-Nationals
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Junior Ashley Tutt (Channahon, Ill./Minooka) finished 17th as the Northern Illinois University cross country team took on an elite field at the Under Armour Pre Nationals on Saturday (Oct. 19) at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. Tutt led the way as the Huskies posted a 27th-place team finish, highest among all Mid-American Conference teams in the field.
Tutt ran a time of 20:34.2 on the six-kilometer course, which will host the NCAA Division I Championships in November, and was just seven seconds outside the top-10. BYU's Erica Birk won the individual title in a time of 20:02.6 while Washington claimed the team title with four runners in the top-25.
Junior Mackenzie Callahan (Minooka, Ill./Minooka) was the second Huskie across the line, moving through the field picking up 16 spots over the final two kilometers while posting a time of 21:20.1; Callahan finished 84th overall.
Senior Ericka Hibser (Lewistown, Ill./Lewistown) was NIU's third finisher, posting a time of 22:03.6 to finish inside the top 200. Senior Vivian Overbeck (Vernon Hills, Ill./Vernon Hills) was also in the top 200, just six seconds behind Hibser (22:09.8), Overbeck moved up six places over the final two kilometers.
The Huskies final team score of 664 was just one point behind Loyola-Chicago (663), but bettered each of the other three MAC schools in the field: Toledo (31st, 745), Eastern Michigan (33rd, 823) and Miami (35th, 833). NIU also bettered Georgia (28th, 679) and Virginia (29th, 711), who are both top-10 ranked in their respective regions.
NIU will now turn its attention to the Mid-American Conference Championship, hosted by the Huskies on the North 40 Course on campus in DeKalb, on Saturday, November 2.
Ohio // Pre-Nationals
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Ohio men's and women's cross country finish a solid day at Pre-Nationals, with the women's team coming in 12th out of 26 teams, and the men's team coming in 2nd out of 20 teams.
The Bobcat women ran well, with redshirt senior Madison Sury (Waterford, Ohio) placing 35th out of 169 finishers in the 6K race, with a time of 21:58.7. Junior Hailey Bowes (Arlington Heights, Ill.) ran a great race as well, finishing with a time of 22:14.5, good enough for 43rd out of 169.
The men's team saw junior Josh Park (Amherst, Ohio) continued his impressive 2019 campaign, finishing 2nd overall in the men's 8K race, with a time of 24:46.3. Redshirt junior Griffin Butler (Newark, Ohio) also ran well, finishing 20th out of 130 competitors, with a time of 25:30.0.
The Bobcats look to build off of their impressive performance at Pre-Nationals when they travel to DeKalb, Ill. for the MAC Championships on Saturday, Nov. 2.
Toledo Men // Pre-Nationals
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The University of Toledo men's cross country team posted a 13th-place finish at the Under Armour Pre-Nationals in Terre Haute, Ind. on Saturday. Sophomore Raymond Korir paced the Rockets, posting a sixth-place finish with a time of 25:02.0.
"Raymond ran his best strategic race of the season," said head coach Andrea Grove-McDonough. "I was really proud of him for taking the feedback we had been giving him and executing it on race day. He's going to be a very exciting athlete to watch over the next few weeks of the season."
Next across the finish line for the Rockets was freshman Jacob Harris, who posted a time of 25:57.6 to take 44th. Harris was followed by freshman Jake Rethman and senior Dismas Koech, who posted times of 26:24.9 and 26:25.1 to take 71st and 73rd, respectively.
"The men overall were really aggressive early and we definitely paid for it down the stretch over the last mile to 2K, but I'd rather see that and be able to come away and make some subtle adjustments than to not put yourself in the race," said Grove-McDonough. "We are a very young program and our freshmen and underclassmen are really jumping into the deep end at meets like this. If we can clean things up a bit at the end of our lineup, we can be really competitive."
Up Next
The men's cross country team will wrap up the regular season in Dexter, Mich. for the EMU Fall Classic on Oct. 25. The Rockets will then head to DeKalb, Ill. for the Mid-American Conference Championships on Nov. 2.
Toledo Women // Pre-Nationals
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The University of Toledo women's cross country team finished 31st at the Under Armour Pre-Nationals in Terre Haute, Ind. on Saturday. Senior Petronela Simiuc made her season debut, pacing the Rockets with a time of 21:19.2 to take 83rd place.
Junior Meltem Yasar was the next Rocket across the finish line, posting a time of 21:49.3. She was followed by senior Stephanie Sherman, who stopped the clock at 21:54.9.
"We definitely took a step forward today on the women's side. Having Petronela in the lineup was really important for us," said head coach Andrea Grove-McDonough. "Our program really gained a lot from this race, and while we still have some pieces we are working on improving, I feel good about where we are at this point in the season."
Up Next
The women's cross country team will wrap up the regular season in Dexter, Mich. for the EMU Fall Classic on Oct. 25. The Rockets will then head to DeKalb, Ill. for the Mid-American Conference Championships on Nov. 2.
Western Michigan // Pre-Nationals
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Western Michigan cross country team is one step closer to the Mid-American Conference Championships after wrapping up the Under Armour Pre-Nationals on Saturday afternoon at LaVern Gibson Championship Course at Indiana State University.
The Broncos finished in 17th place in the White Race in a field of 26. Senior Brittney Hall took 39th overall with a time of 22:09.3 as WMU's top finisher on the day. Classmate Juliane Sormain finished just eight spots behind her with a time of 22:20.4.
"We finished pretty strong in terms of the back-half of the race," said assistant coach Tony Filipek. "Our two through seven runners were passing people from the first split on. But we are still in that situation where we need to flap a switch going into the MAC and get those extra 10 seconds that we need."
WMU's third, fourth and fifth runners were all separated by a total of 8.3 seconds and 12 total places. Freshman Ashley Shipps finished in 93rd after running a 23:04.9. She was followed by junior Courtney Allen in 99th at 23:09.8, while sophomore Paisley Sipes finished in 105th place with a time of 23:13.2. Annalise James finished with a time of 23:30.7 and junior Rebecca McNamee ran a time of 23:44.1 to round out the seven competitors.
"They all left with a great attitude and I thought we competed well," added Filipek. "There is two weeks until the MAC Championship and it's time to just flip that switch to get those extra 5-10 seconds and those extra points."
