Akron Primed for MAC Cross Country Championships

Saturday, October 28

Bowling Green, Ohio

11:00 AM

University of Akron

Mid-American Conference Championships

Akron Primed for MAC Cross Country Championships

October 27 | Cross Country

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS: MEET INFORMATION | PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP POLL | LIVE RESULTS | LIVE VIDEO

AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron cross country team under the direction of second-year head coach Dr. Tim Sykes will begin postseason competition on Saturday, Oct. 28, at the 2023 Mid-American Conference Championships, hosted by Bowling Green at the Mel Brodt Cross Country Course in Bowling Green, Ohio.

The men's 8-kilometer race will begin at 11 a.m. with the women's 6K race to follow at 12 p.m.

The Akron is picked to finish second in the men's race in a pre-championship coaches poll, while the Zips are pegged to place sixth in the women's field.

The field in the women's championship includes squads from all 12 conference schools.

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). Individually, Michelle Rizzo and Beata Rudzinska captured titles in 1999 and 2005, respectively, for the Zips.

The men's field includes nine teams in Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami, Ohio and Toledo.

Akron is in search of its first ever league men's cross country title having placed second in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Marc Migliozzi captured the individual title for the Zips in 2019.

Junior Danielle Honaker (Ashland, Ohio) is Akron's top-returning finisher from the 2022 MAC Championships for the women's team crossing the line for the Zips in a then career-best time of 22:22.0.

Rounding out Akron's scoring efforts was junior Halle Sebest (Poland, Ohio), senior Makenna Heimlich (Shelby, Ohio) and junior Hannah Kerr (Chillicothe, Ohio), who registered times of 22:38.1, 23:02.2 and 23:26.7 (PR), respectively.

Additionally, junior Emerson Rainsburg (Dover, Ohio), seniors Maddie Heimlich (Shelby, Ohio) and Julia Frombach (Avon, Ohio) and junior Grace Henderson (Rostraver Township, Pa.) added times of 23:39.3 (PR), 23:49.8, 23:50.8 (PR) and 23:58.5 (PR).

The Zips' list of runners in the women's race this Saturday will include freshman Kayla Gonzales (Shelby, Ohio), Makenna Heimlich, freshman Megan Hipple (Warren, Ohio), Honaker, Kerr, freshmen Lauren LaRue (Oregon, Ohio) and Mary Munga (Nyandarua, Kenya), Sebest and freshman Kayla Sucharski (Galena, Ohio).

The Zips' list of runners in the men's race this Saturday will include freshmen Majid Abuaun (Rocky River, Ohio), Timothy Chesondin (Eldoret, Kenya) and Ian Deeter (Norwalk, Ohio), senior Jean Dieuvil (North Miami Beach, Fla.), redshirt senior Chase Easterling (Mt. Orab, Ohio), freshmen Zayd Elkurd, (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), Titus Kirui (Eldoret, Kenya) and Brian Masai (Kitale, Kenya), sophomore Anthony Nichols (Silver Lake, Ohio) and senior Kyle Stober (Mogadore).