The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
MAC Championships
Men Finish Runner-Up, Women Place 11th At MAC Championships
November 01 | Cross Country
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Men's Results | Women's Results | PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – With all five runners inside the top-15, the Akron men's cross country finished in second place for a second-consecutive season at the 2014 Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday.
The runner-up finish equaled last year's program-best performance at the championship event. The Zips finished with 49 points, an 18-point improvement from 2013, as Eastern Michigan won its third-straight men's title with a total of 23 points.
Four Zips earned All-MAC honors, led by First-Team All-MAC honoree Clayton Murphy. Kyle Cochrun, Trevor Norris and Dan Zupan earned Second-Team All-MAC honors.
Murphy led the Akron pack with a top-five finish, crossing the line in a time of 24:22 to finish in fourth place. Cochrun, Norris and Zupan were close behind, finishing in ninth, 10th and 11th places, respectively. Cochrun posted a time of 24:36 while Norris cover the 8K course in a time of 24:47. Zupan finished four seconds behind Norris (24:51).
Dylan Papp rounded out the scoring-five in 15th place, posting a time of 24:56. Aaron Howkins (25:05) and Garrett Chrichlow (25:22) finished in 21st and 28th places, respectively.
The women's squad finished in 11th place with a score of 258 points as Toledo won the women's championship with a total score of 48 points.
Kayla Whitlow led the way for the Zips, finishing in 19th place in a time of 21:25. Natalie Zidd covered the 6K course in a time of 22:33 to finish in 50th place while Michaela Foisy finished in 56th place (22:40).
Maria Moore and Irene Frangos rounded out the scoring-five, with Moore crossing the line in 63 place (22:46) and Frangos ending the day in 70th place (23:13.
Marisa Papp (79th) and Abbie Shea (82nd) finished nine seconds apart, posting times of 23:40 and 23:49, respectively.
The Zips, as a whole, split a pair of points in the PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge, with the men's squad earning a full point for the Zips while Kent State earned a point in the women's race. The Golden Flashes lead 2.5-1.0 in the current standings.
Akron will return to action on Nov. 14 when the squads travel to Madison, Wis., for the 2014 Great Lakes Regional Championship.
Players Mentioned
