Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas Heading to Alabama to Defend Great American Title
10/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
MOUNT PLEASANT -- Central Michigan University’s men’s cross country team travels to Hoover, Ala. this Saturday to defend its title in the Great American Cross Country Festival’s Nike Race of Champions. The 8K is set to begin at 10 a.m. at Veterans Park at Valleydale Road (formerly known as the Spain Park Sports Complex).
The Chippewas won the event last year, beating out 10 other teams. Jeff Powers won the meet while Jacob Korir finished second.
“This is a meet we can win again,” coach Craig Fuller said. “We’ve got a better team this year than when we won it last season. We’re looking to get a nice group of runners up front and get a hard workout in.”
The good news is Fuller expects Matt Loiselle and Jacob Korir to make their season debuts at the meet. CMU’s top returning runners from last season’s Mid-American Conference meet have been hampered with illness and injury so far.
“We’ve been easing them back into practice and we are hoping they will be ready to compete on Saturday,” Fuller said. “This is an important meet for us because it will be the first time our full squad will be together.”
The course is a challenging one, but helping runners along the way will be hundreds of fans as the event is part of a day-long festival that includes several high school races featuring some of the top teams in the country.
“It is a big time atmosphere and a lot of fun for our guys to run,” Fuller said. “A lot of people get to see what CMU is all about.”
The meet serves as CMU’s final preparation for the Mid-American Conference Championships which it hosts on Saturday, Oct. 27 at Riverwood Resort. It is the first time CMU has hosted the league meet since 1993.
Last weekend the Chippewas competed in the Michigan Intercollegiate Championships hosted by Oakland University. There were two different race distances and CMU was the top Division I team in the 8K while finishing second in the 4K.
The Chippewas finished 1-2-3 in the 8K with Riak Mabil completing the loop in 26:25. Sammy Kiprotich was second in 26:39 and Cory Arnold third in 26:42. Also scoring were Dan Cramer in sixth (27:09) and Adam Richmond in eighth (27:18).
The 4K scored just four runners and Donnie Richmond was first with a time of 12:27. Other Chippewas included Scott Barnes in seventh (12:57), Wade Buchs ninth (13:13) and Abraham Mach 10th (13:17).
Chippewas Ranked Regionally: CMU is ranked 14th in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Great Lakes Regional poll. Wisconsin is ranked No. 1 regionally and second nationally. Eastern Michigan is fourth regionally followed by fellow MAC foes Miami (9th) and Akron (15th).
Taylor Being Inducted into the CMU Athletic Hall of Fame: Former MAC cross country champion and track All-American Bill Taylor is being inducted into the CMU Athletic Hall of Fame this weekend. The induction banquet is Friday night, and the class will also be honored at halftime of CMU’s football game versus Army (3:30 p.m.).
