Sept. 27, 2008
On Homecoming, the Bobcats placed second in both the men's and women's races behind the Bearcats of Cincinnati in the Ohio Invitational. The Bearcats have now won three consecutive meets, having taken the titles at the Queen City Invitational and the Mel Brodt Invitational previously.
Ohio's Shamus Eaton took first place in the men's 8k held on the Ohio University golf course. The senior posted a time of 25:08.7 to pace the field. The next seven places were owned by the Bearcats, followed by Ohio's Ridge Robinson in ninth, who ran a 25:48.9. Overall, the Bearcats defeated Ohio by a score of 20 to 43.
"We have a young crew," said head coach Clay Calkins. "Shamus led the way and had a standout performance today. If our young talent can step up, we can be more competitive in future meets."
On the women's side, Cincinnati's Lilian Jelimo captured first place (17:24.7), with junior All-MAC performer Kari Summers close behind. Summers posted a time of 17:35.9 to lead all Bobcat runners. Junior Annie Beecham, also All-MAC last season, finished third with a time of 17:41.6. Lisa Davies of Shawnee State came in fourth and Tamara Masters of Cincinnati capped the top-five. Junior Jenielle Hunt also posted a top-ten finish, coming in tenth for Ohio.
Cincinnati claimed the title with 20 points, followed by Ohio with 30 points. The Shawnee State Bears tallied 63 points, good for third place, while the Vikings of Cleveland State finished with 107 points.
Despite the loss, Calkins is encouraged by his two-time defending MAC champion team's performance.
"It was a competitive meet," remarked Calkins. "Cincinnati is a great team, and I think this places us in good position for the rest of the season. We're looking forward to going to Notre Dame next weekend and this was a good meet for us in preparation."
Both Bobcat cross country teams will run in the Notre Dame Invitational Friday, Oct. 3 in South Bend. The meet is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. ET.
