BUFFALO — University at Buffalo’s men’s and women’s cross country teams are getting ready to compete in the Mid-American Conference Championships on Saturday, October 29th in Kent, OH. Both teams are looking to improve on last year’s results. In 2015, the men took away a sixth place finish while the women took home a fifth place finish.
In 2015, the women were able to take away two Top-20 finishes. Amy Shaw took home a 13th place finish, clocking in at 21:37.20. Corinne Birchard wasn’t far behind, clocking in at 21:57.70, enough for a 19th place finish. Chardae Henry, Melinda Wheeler, and Meagan Hopkins also helped pace the Bulls to their fifth place finish, placing 35th, 42nd, and 46th respectively.
For the men, Adam Hunt was able to nab a Top-30 finish with a time of 25:46.60. Just missing out on a Top-30 placement by two finishers was Tyler Scheving who was four seconds behind teammate Hunt. Justin Van Epps was also a driving force for the Bulls, placing 39th with a time of 25:58.70.
Each race this season has just been a stepping stone leading up to the larger picture: the Mid-American Conference Championships and NCAA Regionals. The Bulls have seen depth that is off the charts this season, with impressive outcomes from upperclassmen as well as newcomers. It’s newcomers like Stephanie Ward that have made an impact on the Bulls in her rookie debut. Ward has been the first Bull to cross the finish line in each race this season, placing in the Top-25 in three of the four races. Her most impressive race was at the UB Stampede, where she placed 2nd overall, and helped lead the team to a second place finish.
Head Coach Vicki Mitchell has been extremely intentional about who the Bulls have raced against throughout the season. Facing many regionally and nationally ranked teams have provided a competitive environment for the Bulls. It has not only been a way to lay the groundwork for improvement from race-to-race this season, but also improvement throughout the runners’ careers.
The women’s race is set to begin at 11:00 am, while the men are set to begin at 12:00 pm on Saturday. The top seven runners from each race will earn All-MAC First-Team honors, while the eighth through fourteenth runners will be named All-MAC Second-Team honors.
from UBBulls.com via IFTTT
