In a consistent theme throughout the season, the freshmen led the pack for the Kent State cross country team on both the men’s and women’s sides at the Mid-American Conference Championships in Buffalo, NY, Saturday.
While the freshmen found success during the races, the teams as a whole didn’t. The men’s team finished in 9th/10th place with a combined time of 130:40.8 in the 8K, while the women’s team finished in 12th/13th place with a combined time of 114:38.8 in the 6K.
Runners also had to deal with muddy conditions on the course, according to coach Laura Rybka. Although both teams struggled, she said there was improvement from last year’s MAC Championships.
“[There was] much progress on a lot of levels,” Rybka said. “Culturally, and in terms of execution of races.”
For the men’s team, freshman Michael Hanselman continued to have an impressive start to his collegiate career with yet another solid performance. He came in 25th place out of 86 runners with a time of 25:06.
He was followed up by freshman Owen Kelly and senior Carter Almady. They finished 54th and 55th with times of 26:18.5 and 26:20.6, respectively.
In terms of approach, Rybka felt the team started too fast.
“Some of the squad could have gone out more conservative in the first 1K.”
On the women’s side, freshman Camille Dunifer continued her solid season with a 46th-place finish and a time of 22:15.4. She was followed up by sophomore Grace Smith who had a time of 22:36.6, which was good enough for a 59th-place finish.
Rybka felt the team improved down the stretch by pushing the last 2K, but fell flat towards the middle of the race.
“The entire squad showed a lot of tenacity,” she said. “We could have been more aggressive in the middle.”
It’s unclear if the Flashes will have a qualifier for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional at Evansville, IN. If any individuals manage to do so, they will compete on Nov. 14.
John Engoglia is sports editor. Contact him at [email protected].
Emily Lowen is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
