ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio cross country teams competed in the 2022 Mid-American Conference Championships on Saturday (Oct. 29), hosting at the Ohio University Golf Course. The women's team placed second in the 6k, while the men took sixth in the 8k.
The women were the championship runners-up, recording their best team finish since 2007. Seven Bobcats finished with eight in the top 30, with Ohio's top five runners only collecting 83 points for the team. Individually, freshman
Leila Boussedra (Worthington, Ohio) ran the second-fastest time in school history with a 20:44.2, placing 12
th. Boussedra's performance allowed her to secure the title of MAC Cross Country Freshman of the Year and Second Team All-MAC honors.
"I feel great, but I am so proud of the team" explained Boussedra. "I am so proud to wear this jersey and be a part of this team".
Sophomore
Theresa Hagey (Akron, Ohio) was right behind Boussedra, collecting Second Team All-MAC honors of her own. Hagey ran a 21:01.1, finishing 14
th while freshman
Alyssa Mason (Hilliard, Ohio) took 17
th with a 21:08.6. Other scorers for the Bobcats were fifth years
Madelyn Bartolone (19
th) (Massillon, Ohio) and
Stephanie Pierce (21
st) (Fairborn, Ohio), clocking a 21:12.0 and 21:23.3.
"I though the women were really good today", expressed head coach
Sarah Pease. "We had 12 through 21, that was our one through five, so we kept a good, tight pack, which was something important for us. We put eight in the top 30, so the progression there has been really good. We had two All-Conference and the Freshman of the Year, and they just ran amazing."
On the men's side, the team took sixth with 168 points. Junior
Wendesen King (Reynoldsburg, Ohio) led the Ohio with a 19
th place finish and a time of 24:28.4. Junior
Michael Tonkovich (Athens, Ohio) followed, taking 24
th with a 24:38.8. Other scorers consisted of graduate student
Ethan Frisone (25:33.9) (Yorba Linda, Calif.), sophomore
Seth Davis (25:38.1) (Reynoldsburg, Ohio), and junior
Cooper Mullen (25:45.3) (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Up next, the Bobcats will travel to Terre Haute, Ind. to compete in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships.
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