Oct. 31, 2009
ATHENS, Ohio - The 2009 Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships were held on the banks of the Hocking River Saturday, with a rain-soaked field battling for conference supremacy. Kent State took first place in the men's 8k race while Miami earned the crown in the women's 6k. In the men's race, the final standings were:
1) Kent State
2) Eastern Michigan
3) Central Michigan
4) Miami
5) Buffalo
6) Ohio
7) Toledo
8) Akron
9) Bowling Green
Kent State dominated the pack, grabbing four of the top eight places. Aiman Scullion took first overall with his 25:32.7 and was followed closely by Central Michigan's Riak Mabil, who crossed the finish line at 25:41.7.
The Bobcats finished sixth as a team, beating Toledo, Akron and Bowling Green. Finishing first for Ohio--and 26th overall--was Noah Howkins (Stow, Oh.), who ran a season-best 26:53.7. Not far behind him was Aadam Soorma's 27:05.6, which was good enough for 31st overall. The `Cats put together a pretty decent pack with the next few runners as Tyler Cantley, Chris Davis (Reedsville, Oh.), Dan Quarfoot (Barrington, Ill.), Tyler Ames (Cortland, Oh.) and Cory Irwin (Canal Winchester, Oh.) finished in 38th, 43rd, 44th, 51st and 53rd, respectively. Cantley (Vincent, Oh.) ran a season-best time of 27:22.6 for the Bobcats.
In the women's race, the final standings were:
1) Miami
2) Toledo
3) Akron
4) Central Michigan
5) Kent State
6) Eastern Michigan
7) Bowling Green
8) Northern Illinois
8) Ohio
10) Western Michigan
11) Ball State
12) Buffalo
Miami's great pack of their 3-7 runners really paced them through to victory, as Toledo snagged three spots in the top ten. Rocket Ari Fisher took first place in the race with her 22:18.8, with Kent State's Alexandra Lizarribar finishing next, 12 seconds behind the leader.
The Bobcats finished tied for eighth as a team, tying Northern Illinois and beating Western Michigan, Ball State and Buffalo. Kristen Altenburger was the first finisher for Ohio--and 29th overall--with her time of 23:48.2. Darby Mullen (35th), Hannah Charbel (48th), Abigail Swift (51st), Jenielle Hunt (55th), Lauren Fett (57th) and Kelley O'Brien (64th) rounded out Ohio's top seven.
The Bobcats will next be in action on November 14th at the NCAA Regionals.
