Beecham, Summers Finish One-Two in MAC Championship :: Eaton posts top-ten finish to earn second-team All-MAC honors

Nov. 1, 2008

Russ Eisenstein's Interview with Annie Beecham

YPSILANTI, Mich. - The Ohio men's and women's cross country teams finished fifth and third, respectively, in the MAC Championships today at the Eagle Crest Golf Course in Ypsilanti, Mich., hosted by Eastern Michigan University. Junior Annie Beecham (Granville, Ohio) took the women's title with a record-setting time of 16:56.8, which is a new MAC record and a new school record for a 5K race. Junior Kari Summers (Troy, Ohio) was the runner-up, posting a time of 17:02.9, which is the third-best time in school history.

Head coach Clay Calkins was very proud of his runners. "They all ran well today, and Kari (Summers) and Annie (Beecham) led the team to third, which is about where I thought we would be. I couldn't ask for more from them all as a coach. They did everything I asked of them and more."

On the men's side, senior Shamus Eaton (Uniontown, Ohio) placed eighth with a time of 24:54.2 in the 8K race, his best time of the season. Junior Ridge Robinson (Navarre, Ohio) finished 23rd, running the course in 25:25.7. Senior Todd Holbrook (Beavercreek, Ohio) posted a season-best time of 25:41.0, good for 27th place. Freshman Tyler Cantley (Vincent, Ohio) and redshirt sophomore Chris Davis (Reedsville, Ohio) also ran season-best times with a 25:52.6 and 26:03.5 to place 31st and 33rd, respectively. Freshman Joey Cherico (Strongsville, Ohio) was 44th with a season-best time of 26:23.7, and senior Drew Fattlar (Westlake, Ohio) came in 51st with a time of 26:40.8.

Coach Calkins was pleased with the effort of the men's team, as almost every runner ran a season-best time. "The men ran a great race. It played out that we came in fifth, but it could've gone either way. We were competing with Central Michigan and Kent State for that third spot, and both teams ran great races," said Calkins. "Shamus (Eaton) did well to finish in the top-ten. It's great to see him have such success as a senior."

After Beecham and Summers, junior Jenielle Hunt (Pittsburgh, Pa.) finished 20th with a season-best time of 17:57.7, followed by senior Rachel Beakas (Waterville, Ohio), who ran a time of 18:16.1 in her first race of the season to finish 34th. Junior Abigail Swift (Newark, Del.) finished 50th after posting a season-best time of 18:30.8. Freshmen Hannah Charbel (Vandalia, Ohio) and Kristen Altenburger (Troy, Ohio) both ran season-best times to place 60th and 65th, respectively, to round out the runners for the Bobcats.

Both Beecham and Summers earned first-team All-MAC honors for their performances, which is the second-consecutive year for Beecham and the third-consecutive year for Summers. Beecham is the first MAC champion for Ohio since Carime Reinhart in 2006, and Summers is the first runner-up since Julie Clark in 1997. Shamus Eaton received second-team All-MAC honors for his top-ten finish, the first such honor of his career.

Eastern Michigan University took home the men's title for the fourth-straight year, while Miami University grabbed the women's title from the Bobcats.

Ohio will get next week off before heading to West Lafayette, Ind. to compete in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, hosted by Purdue University, on Saturday, Nov. 15. The women will run a 6K beginning at 11 a.m. ET, followed by the men's 10K at 11:45 a.m. ET.

Men's Team Results

1. Eastern Michigan, 42

2. Miami, 56

3. Kent State, 61

4. Central Michigan, 103

5. Ohio, 122

6. Buffalo, 169

7. Akron, 179

8. Toledo, 186

9. Bowling Green, 270

Women's Team Results

1. Miami, 39

2. Akron, 81

3. Ohio, 107

4. Central Michigan, 141

5. Bowling Green, 147

6. Toledo, 165

7. Buffalo, 177

8. Kent State, 184

9. Western Michigan, 218

10. Eastern Michigan, 238

11. Ball State, 251

12. Northern Illinois, 355