Oct. 30, 2008

ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio men’s and women’s cross country teams travel to Eastern Michigan University for the MAC Championships on Saturday, Nov. 1. The races will be held at the Eagle Crest Golf Course beginning at 11 a.m. ET with the men’s 8K. The women’s 5K starts at noon, with the awards ceremony taking place 30 minutes after the conclusion of the women’s race.

The Bobcats had last weekend off, but prior to that they competed in Pre-Nationals in Terre Haute, Ind. on Oct. 18. For the women, juniors Kari Summers (Troy, Ohio) and Annie Beecham (Granville, Ohio) both broke the Ohio 6K record with their 21st and 31st place finishes, respectively, and were the top two MAC runners in the Blue Race. Summers ran a time of 20:52.2, breaking the mark previously held by Carime Reinhart by almost 30 seconds. Both 2007 First-Team All-MAC performers, Summers and Beecham led their team to a 24th place showing out of 41 teams.

The men’s team placed 38th at Pre-Nationals, led by senior Shamus Eaton (Uniontown, Ohio), who placed 114th, the third-best MAC runner in the Blue Race. Junior Ridge Robinson (Navarre, Ohio) placed 150th as the second Bobcat finisher. Junior Todd Holbrook (Beavercreek, Ohio), senior Drew Fattlar (Westlake, Ohio) and freshman Tyler Cantley (Vincent, Ohio) rounded out the top-five for the Bobcats.

Both teams have had successful 2008 campaigns, posting top-10 finishes at the Notre Dame Invitational and top-five showings at the All-Ohio Championships. Kari Summers posted top-three efforts in both meets, including a runner-up showing at the All-Ohio. Annie Beecham also ran a top-three time at the All-Ohio and finished sixth at Notre Dame. For her efforts, Summers has been named MAC Women’s Runner of the Week three times this season. Both Shamus Eaton and Ridge Robinson placed in the top-10 at Notre Dame and the top-20 at the All-Ohio. Eaton was named MAC Men’s Runner of the Week on Sept. 30.

Last season, the women successfully defended their conference title, winning their second-consecutive MAC championship behind top-10 performances from Beecham and Summers. The men finished fourth, highlighted by the runner-up effort from then-senior Craig Leon. The men are looking to improve upon last year’s meet with the help of new freshmen talent like Joey Cherico (Strongsville, Ohio) and Tyler Cantley (Vincent, Ohio), who both have competed in all five meets so far this year.

Complete results will be available online at the conclusion of the races. Visit the 2008 MAC Cross Country Championship web site for more information.