Akron Primed for MAC Cross Country Championships

Saturday, November 2

DeKalb, Ill.

University of Akron

Mid-American Conference Championships

Akron Primed for MAC Cross Country Championships

November 01 | Cross Country

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MAC CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | MEET INFORMATION | LIVE RESULTS | MEN'S VIDEO PREVIEW | WOMEN'S VIDEO PREVIEW

AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron men's and women's cross country teams will begin postseason competition on Saturday, Nov. 2, at the 2019 Mid-American Conference Championships, hosted by Northern Illinois University at the North 40 Course in DeKalb, Ill.

The men's 8-kilometer race will begin at 12 p.m. ET with the women's 6K race to follow at 1 p.m. ET. 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 2.0-0.5 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, Ohio and Toledo. All 12 conference schools will be participating in the women's race.

The Zips have won a pair of league titles on the women's side capturing the crown in 1999 and 2005, while placing second twice (2007 and 2008). The men's squad eyes its first-ever MAC title having placed second three times (2013, 2014 and 2015).

A year ago, the Akron men garnered a third-place finish, while the Zips' women team earned an eighth-place showing. Both squads earned a full point for Akron in the Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge.

The Akron women will be led by a quartet of returning individual scorers from the 2018 MAC Championship in senior Mackenzie Andrews (Toowoomba, Australia), junior Lindsey Scarton (Berea, Ohio), senior Haley Hess (Curtice, Ohio) and sophomore Lizzy Gurko (Northfield, Ohio).

In the women's 2018 race, Andrews covered the course in 21:33.30 to earn a 15th-place finish. Scarton, Hess and Ashley Murray followed Andrews across the finish line for the Zips' women's squad recording times of 22:11.29 (31st), 22:19.24 (34th) and 22:27.59 (43rd), respectively.

Completing Akron's scoring runners was Gurko (22:37.85/51st).

Also racing for the Zips in the championship was redshirt junior Alyssa Thomas (Green, Ohio) (22:42.88), Sydney Niekamp (23:20.50), Whitney Wendling (23:33.33) and Tarike Osuobeni (23:43.13).

Andrews has been the Zips' top finisher in three of Akron's four races this fall, at the Tommy Evans Invitational, All-Ohio Championships and Joe Piane-Notre Dame Invitational, while Hess crossed first for Akron at the Penn State National.

The Zips' list of runners in the race this Saturday will include; freshman Olivia Anaple (Blue Ash, Ohio), Andrews, Gurko, Hess, freshman Morgan Jankowski (Brook Park, Ohio), senior Varvara Lissichkina (Karaganda, Kazahkstan), Scarton and Thomas.

The Akron men will be directed by a pair of returning individual scorers from the 2018 MAC Championship in senior Marc Migliozzi (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and junior Andre Bollam-Godbott (Brunswick, Ohio).

Migliozzi earned second-team All-MAC accolades on the strength of recording a personal-best time of 25:03.9 to finish 14th overall, while Bollam-Godbott posted a time of 25:24.77 (22nd).

Tevin Brown was Akron's top finisher in 2018 registering a team-best time of 24:46.20 en route to placing eighth. Rounding out Akron's scoring efforts a year ago was Taylor Hopkins and Jake Wickert, who crossed the line in 25:32.93 (28th) and 25:33.17 (29th), respectively.

Also competing for the Zips in the 2018 league championship was redshirt junior Jacob Ondash (Hiram, Ohio) (26:40.8/67th) and senior Nick Stricklen (Lexington, Ohio) (26:19.05/54th).

Bollam-Godbott has been the Zips' top finisher in three of Akron's four races this fall, at the Tommy Evans Invitational, All-Ohio Championships and Joe Piane-Notre Dame Invitational, while Migliozzi paced the squad at the Penn State National.

The Zips' contingent of runners in the race this Saturday will include; Bollam-Godbott, freshman Chase Easterling (Mt. Orab, Ohio), senior Jeremiah Fitzgerald (Mantua, Ohio), freshman Aidan Harr (New Philadelphia, Ohio), junior Oliver Huffman (Augusta, Ga.), Migliozzi, Ondash and Stricklen.

In their final tune-up before the upcoming MAC Championships, Hess and Migliozzi each registered career-best times to direct the efforts of the University of Akron women's and men's cross country teams at the Penn State National on Oct. 18 in University Park, Pa.

Migliozzi traversed the men's 5.2-mile course at the Penn State Blue-White Course in a career-best time of 25:36.3 en route to a fourth-place finish, while Hess also garnered a career-low and team-best time of 21:32.1 to place 31st overall.

The Zips placed fifth in the men's team standings, their highest-ever finish at the Penn State National, while the Akron women earned an 11th-place showing.

Hess and Andrews battled down to the wire for top-team honors for the Zips with Hess crossing the line in 21:32.1 (31st) followed just over a second later by Andrews with a time of 21:33.5 (34th).

Scarton, Anaple and Thomas rounded out Akron's scoring efforts registering times of 21:45.1, 22:44.1 and 22:54.7, respectively. Scarton and Anaple's performances represented career-best efforts.

Additionally, Lissichkina, Jankowski and junior Leah Recker (Findlay, Ohio) posted career-best finishing times of 23:24.4, 23:38.8 and 24:03.1.

Following Migliozzi across the line for the Zips in a career-best time of 25:51.3 to place 13th overall was Stricklen.

Culminating Akron's scoring efforts with career-low times of 26:09.7 (32nd), 26:35.3 (45th) and 26:56.3 (60th) was Bollam-Godbott and Easterling.

Additionally, Ondash recorded a career-best time of 27:23.4 (83rd).