Freshman Erin Riley keeps up the pace at the Miami Invitational Sept. 11. (MICHAEL GRIGGS | The Miami Student)
The Miami University men's and women's cross country teams went their separate ways for the first time this season to run in one final meet before the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship.
The women's team placed fourth in the 6K Penn State University (PSU) National Meet, while the men's team raced to a third place finish in the 8K Falcon Invitational at Bowling Green State University.
At 11 a.m. Oct. 16, the women's cross country team laced up at PSU's Blue and White Golf Course with 31 other schools, including No. 1 ranked Villanova. The RedHawks chose to skip Pre-Nationals to try out the Penn State Meet, wanting to earn some national recognition.
"Pre-Nationals has too many teams," Head Coach Kelly Phillips said. "It just becomes a mess and we've never had a good experience. Penn State was a great opportunity to get ranked nationally, and this should do it."
The RedHawks placed fourth, earning 155 points.
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
"We weren't lost amongst all the runners," freshman Kate Carter said. "We knew where we had to be and what we had to do."
Senior Rachel Patterson placed 12 overall, while fellow senior Amanda Mirochna ran a personal best and placed 23. Juniors Kelley Miller and Maggie Bingham placed 32 and 33, both with personal best times. Senior Katie Lenahan placed 55, Carter finished 57 and junior Jillian Dickman finished 88th.
The men's team raced at Forrest Creason Golf Course at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 16. After some confusion following the collapse of the meet's electronic scoring system, the men's team
finished with 55 points, just one point behind defending MAC champion Kent State University, and placed three runners in the top 10.
Like the women's team, the men's team schedule didn't include Pre-Nationals for two reasons. First, the Falcon Invitational meet consisted of mostly flat ground with only one hill. This is similar to what the RedHawks will run at the MAC Championship. Second, the Falcon Invitational offered a competitive environment for the RedHawks and allowed Head Coach Waren Mandrell and the runners to see everyone and know how everyone is doing, exactly how the MAC Championship will be.
"It was a dog fight," Mandrell said. "Practices were tougher this week due to midterms and projects, so the guys were just kind of worn out from trying to do well in school. We wanted to make sure we got out in front at this meet. It was extraordinarily close between the top three teams. It was quite a meet."
Sophomore David Eichenberger placed fifth overall and had a personal best, while seniors Robbie Fisher and Michael Perry finished eighth and ninth. Sophomore Jarrod Eick finished 15 and freshmen Blake Dircksen and David Wing followed with personal best times. Junior Chris Denison finished after them. Freshman Matt Marol, who usually finishes in the top five for the RedHawks, was sick and ran a weaker race than usual.
"It wasn't our strongest effort as a team," Fisher said. "Some of the guys were just under the weather, but we had a nice pack up front and a few personal best times. It was a good build up meet before MAC and regionals."
The RedHawks return to action Oct. 30 to run in the MAC championship at Kalamazoo, Mich.
Read More
How one professor and her classes are preserving Oxford’s Black history
By Sean Scott | March 20, 2024Jazma Sutton, an assistant professor of history, teaches The Black Midwest (HST 350Q) and Black Women in America (HST 450D) classes. In both courses, she has students working with the Smith Library of Regional History and Miami’s archives to document and preserve Black history in Oxford.
Miami faculty members recount Freedom Summer in new documentary
By Luke Macy | February 25, 2022After seven years of work, “Training for Freedom,” a documentary highlighting Oxford’s involvement in the Freedom Summer of 1964, premiered on PBS Western Reserve on Valentine’s Day.
“Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic”: History in the making
By Alice Momany | August 29, 2021In March 2020, Miami University’s archives launched “Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic,” a collection focused on life during the COVID-19 pandemic.