Final Results
Oct. 29, 2005
DeKalb, Ill. - Both the Ohio men's and women's cross country teams had their best performance in years as the Bobcat men finished third and the women took fourth Saturday at the Mid-American Conference Championships in DeKalb, Ill. Jason Linton, Andrea Maas and Carime Reinhart each earned All-MAC honors.
"Everybody has done everything we have asked of them this season," said Head Coach Clay Calkins. "Everything that Coach Mitch Bentley has put forth in front of them, the team has executed on a daily basis, and all their hard work has shown through today. They have earned everything that they got this year."
Picked to finish fifth in the MAC at the beginning of the year, the Ohio men won two team titles and also faced nationally ranked competition coming into today's race. The seniors showed their experience as the team did not disappoint by placing three men in the top-20 and five in the top-30. Out of nine teams, the men placed third behind Miami with 101 points as 30th ranked Eastern Michigan won the men's team title with 39 points. This was Ohio's best performance since winning the men's title in 1996.
Leading the charge, senior Linton (Vincent) took ninth at 25:03 to earn second-team All-MAC honors. This was his second year in a row that he placed ninth. Also a senior, Austin Schiele (Hudson) took 17th at 25:36, about 50 seconds quicker than his 30th-place finish at last year's event. Junior Craig Leon (Van Wert) was one second behind, finishing 18th.
Continuing the trend of Ohio men finishing together, seniors Bob Wayner (Cincinnati) and Brian List (Milford) placed 28th and 29th at 26:08 and 26:10, respectively. Though only the top-five finishes count for a team, Shamus Eaton (Uniontown) and Brian King (Richfield, Minn.) placed 35th and 36th at 26:19 and 26:21, respectively. This was Eaton's best run in his first year as a Bobcat. Miami's Dan Huling had the best time out of 77 runners at 24:21, four seconds ahead of his nearest competitor.
"Some of the runners may have not finished with the time they wanted, but finishing third respectively was a good team race on the men's part," said Calkins.
Picked to finish eighth in the MAC, the Ohio women showed throughout the year that even without a lot of experience, it had the depth to make noise at the championships in 2005. Compared to 2004, the women placed better this year at the All-Ohio Championships and the Notre Dame Invite. The team took fourth place with four top-30 finishes to get 122 points Saturday, only five behind Ball State. Akron won the team title with 41 points. This was Ohio's best performance since the women finished second in 1998.
"On the women's side, Akron ran a fantastic race. Toledo ran really well, with Ball State right behind," said Calkins. "Those three did a great job, so the women finishing fourth is a huge feat for us."
Only a sophomore, Carime Reinhart (Bascom) earned first-team All-MAC honors, finishing fourth at 17:49, her best performance ever by eight seconds. Last year at the same meet, she placed fifth at 18:23.7. However, she still remains the tenth fastest runner in Ohio women's cross country history. After having won two individual titles this year, Maas (Cincinnati) finished 13th at 18:13 to earn second-team All-MAC honors. This performance tied her previous best time, which was set at this year's Notre Dame Invite. Akron's Beata Rudzinska won the title at 17:24, five seconds faster than the closest runner.
The major difference in this year's team performance compared to last year's 10th place finish came from freshmen Rachel Beakas (Waterville) and Julia Weisenborn (Bowling Green). For the first time this year, both finished under 19 minutes to take 25th and 29th at 18:40 and 18:46, respectively. Rounding out the top-five, sophomore Kendra Churchill (Dublin) placed 51st at 19:14, her best time ever. Though the two seniors Ali Green (Lancaster) and Lauren Birnie (Worthington) did not earn points for the Bobcats, they both ran more than a minute quicker today compared to last year's performance to take 54th and 60th at 19:19 and 19:30, respectively.
"Andrea coming in being second-team All-Mac, she just did an incredible job for us," Calkins said. "Two up-and-coming freshmen, Rachel Beakas and Julia Weisenborn, did a fantastic job. All of our top five are returning for next year, so we will be fully complimented and ready to make a run at the title."
Ohio will now focus its attention on the NCAA Great Lakes Regionals, which will take place in Bloomington, Ind., Saturday, Nov. 12.
"Coach Bentley has them on track to peak at the regionals and have a great meet," Calkins said. "It's going to be difficult, though, to make it out as a team on either side because the competition is second to none."
