Chippewas Host MAC Cross Country Championships
10/31/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The Central Michigan men entered the 2014 season harboring legitimate hopes of contending for the Mid-American Conference cross country title.
That flame still burns brightly, but associate head coach Matt Kaczor is fully aware it will take a tremendous effort to realize that goal.
"I've been saying it throughout the whole year, you have to win your battles," Kaczor said as he prepares his squads for the MAC Championships Saturday at Riverwood Resort Golf Course. "If our guys can do that then we'll be happy with their results because that's the best they can do."
If all goes well for the Chippewa men, they certainly could find themselves in the hunt. But a major obstacle is four-time defending champion Eastern Michigan. The Eagles are gunning for their ninth league title in the last 10 years. Akron, the defending runner-up, should also figure into the mix.
On paper, the Eagles have two of the top runners in the MAC, and they are very capable of finishing 1-2 on Saturday.
"So right there, you have to try to negate three points, which is pretty tough to beat," Kaczor said. "What we have to do is win our battles after that, where our goal is to put our (third runner) in front of their third, and our fourth in front of theirs, and so on. If we can start doing that, we will have some chances to pull it closer."
Part of what fueled CMU's high hopes coming into the season was the hope that top runner Kyle Stacks would regain his health. It never happened and Stacks, a senior who placed fifth in the MAC two years ago, won't run on Saturday.
But the Chippewas did get a somewhat unexpected boost when newcomer Spencer DeKalita, a junior transfer from Northwood, established himself as a team frontrunner along with Spencer Nousain and Nate Ghena.
Ghena, a junior, was fourth in the MAC a year ago, while Nousain, a sophomore, was eighth.
"If those three do what they can do, it's going to (come down to) what happens four through seven," Kaczor said. "We've got a lineup. Now it's just them putting it together on the same day."
Also expected to start for the Chippewas on Saturday are seniors Ethan Lievense and Ben Wynsma, junior Monte Scott, sophomore Casey Voisin, and freshmen Alec Toreki and Joseph Emmanuel.
Senior Abbey Kelto and junior Breanne Lesnar have been the top two runners on the women's side for the Chippewas all season, and that should hold come Saturday. Lesnar was seventh in the MAC last season.
"Abbey, this is her last conference championship for cross country so you'd like to see her go out (as an all-leaguer)," Kaczor said. "She wasn't all-conference last year, but I think she has the capability to be a first-teamer."
After the top two, the Chippewas feature a very young lineup comprising just one upperclassman, senior Melinda Pelinkas. Sophomores Katie Weiler, Jamie Madrigal, Hannah Davis, Michaela Bundy and Esther Bell and freshman Alyssa Byndas round out the lineup.
"We're really seeing the future, and where we're going to be in the next few years," Kaczor said. "We've called on a lot of young blood and a few of these women are going to be thrown in a little sooner than what I would usually like to do, but I like to try to build people into what they're going to be in future years."
The goal for the Chippewa women, Kaczor said, is a top-five finish in the 12-team field. The CMU women have finished no lower than fourth since 2007.
"It's obtainable," Kaczor said. "Is it going to be easy? No. It's going to depend on how our three, four, five (runners) execute their race plan. If they execute it well then we have a shot to be somewhere in that fifth-place range."
Miami (Ohio) is the defending women's champion. The RedHawks broke Toledo's streak of three straight titles last season. Either Miami or Toledo has won the last six conferences championships.
The women's race begins Saturday at 11 a.m., followed by the men at noon.
Players Mentioned
