The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Mid-American Conference Championships
Zips Primed for MAC Cross Country Championships
October 28 | Cross Country
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AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron men's and women's cross country teams will begin postseason competition on Saturday, Oct. 29, at the 2016 Mid-American Conference Championships, hosted by Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.
The men's 8-kilometer race will begin at 11 a.m. ET, with the women's 6-kilometer race to follow at noon. In addition to a pair of MAC Championships on the line, the Zips will be competing for two points in the Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge. Kent State leads 1.5-1.0 in the current standings.
The nine-team field in the men's championship includes squads from Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami University, Ohio and Toledo. All 12 conference schools will be participating in the women's race.
The Zips are in search of their first-ever men's league title after garnering runner-up finishes to Eastern Michigan at each of the last three conference championships.
"The conference meet is on Saturday and we are excited," Akron head men's coach Lee LaBadie commented. "There should be a big battle for second thru fifth place between Akron, Buffalo, Miami and Ohio, as well as to see if we can stay with the preseason favorite Eastern Michigan. We are healthy and ready for the challenge. Go Zips!"
Akron will be directed by a pair of individual scorers from the 2015 MAC Championship, in senior Dan Zupan (Berea, Ohio) and sophomore Joe Rossetti (Stow, Ohio), the 2015 MAC Freshman of the Year, who collectively helped the Zips to a second-place team finish.
A year ago, in his first conference championship, Rossetti captured a 16th-place finish coming across the line in 25:21.12, while Zupan registered a time of 25:31.88 (20th).
Also competing for the Zips a season ago were juniors Garrett Crichlow (Twinsburg, Ohio) and Eric McCabe (Hilliard, Ohio) and sophomore Jeremiah Fitzgerald (Mantua, Ohio), posting marks of 25:56.36 (36th), 26:28.42 (56th), 26:51.25 (65th), respectively.
Zupan and Rossetti have been the Zips' top finishers in Akron's four races this fall, at the Tommy Evans Invitational (Zupan), Virginia Tech Alumni Invitational (Zupan), All-Ohio Championships (Rossetti) and Penn State National (Rossetti).
The Zips' contingent of runners in the race this Saturday will include; freshman Samuel Blechman (Bradford Woods, Ohio), redshirt freshman Tevin Brown (Toledo, Ohio), redshirt freshman Nick Campbell (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), Crichlow, McCabe, Rossetti, freshman Nick Stricklen (Lexington, Ohio), senior Martin Zegarelli (Erie, Pa.) and Zupan.
"I am very excited for the opportunity to get this young team on starting line at the MAC Championships," said Akron head women's coach David Gramlich. "I think we are prepared to have our best race of the season and we have the proper mindset going into this championship. Our plan is to be calm, smart and aggressive throughout the race. If we execute correctly, I can see us surprising a lot of people and gaining a lot of momentum heading into the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Meet."
Redshirt junior Sarah Kupniewski (Erie, Pa.) and senior Natalie Zidd (Hinckley, Ohio) lead a young Akron women's squad looking to improve on its showing from a year ago, where Jillian Roth directed the Zips' efforts crossing the line in 22:18.7, good for a 36th-place performance.
Kupniewski was the Akron's next finisher placing 57th with a time of 22:59.10. Zidd recorded a time of 23:23.0 (73rd), while redshirt junior Alexandra Blair (Akron, Ohio) and sophomore Cynthia Haas (Tallmadge, Ohio) rounded out the Zips' scoring contingent crossing the line in 24:15.8 (93rd) and 24:23.1 (95th), respectively. Redshirt junior Tara Snipes (Covington, Ohio) also competed for Akron recording a time of 25:35.5 (120nd).
Freshman Haley Hess (Curtice, Ohio), redshirt sophomore Elizabeth Mosier (Austintown, Ohio) and redshirt freshman Mackenzie Andrews (Toowoomba, Australia) have been the Zips' top finisher in Akron's first four races this fall at the Tommy Evans Invitational (Hess), Virginia Tech Alumni Invitational (Mosier), All-Ohio Championships (Mosier) and Penn State National (Andrews).
The Zips' contingent running at the MAC Championship will include; Andrews, Blair, sophomore Morgan Buckley (Warren, Ohio), Hess, Kupniewski, Mosier, sophomore Tarike Osuobeni (Columbus, Ohio), freshman Hannah Pineault (Morgantown, W. Va.) and Zidd.
Players Mentioned
