Cross Country Heads to MAC Championships
10/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - It's the one the Central Michigan cross country teams have been pointing to all season: The Mid-America Conference Championships.
The Chippewas will run Saturday for a league title at GlenOak Community Park in Canton, Ohio. The men's race, an 8K, begins at 11 a.m. The women's race, a 6K, carries a noon start.
The top seven runners in each race earn First Team All-MAC honors, the second seven are second-teamers.
CMU coach Matt Kaczor has high hopes, particularly for the women who, if they get a good performance from their fifth runner - whomever that may be - could be on the podium.
"The big difference is we haven't had a great No. 5 runner," Kaczor said. "If we can do that, we're in the hunt, and by in the hunt I mean in the hunt to win it."
A solid front-of-the-pack foursome - freshmen Samantha Allmacher and Megan O'Neil, junior Kelly Schubert and sophomore Kirsten Olling - has led CMU all season.
Five runners score at the meet, and the Chippewas will need that fifth runner, whomever it is, to produce. Breanne Lesnar, Alyssa Dyer and Hannah Davis round out the Chippewa lineup.
Lesnar, a senior who finished 21st at the MAC last year, is certainly capable, Kaczor said, but has battled injuries and illness throughout season. She has competed in just one event, and that was more than a month ago.
"Breanne, she's got experience on her side," Kaczor said. "She's been at MAC meets before, NCAA first round. She's been around competition. We're not expecting her to be our No. 1, but we're expecting her to steer the ship and get across that finish line in the best position possible.
"It's going to be a committee that's going to make that fifth spot go. Those three are really going to have to bear down and help each other out and stay as close as they can to our top four. Ultimately we're as good as our fifth runner."
The CMU men are led by seniors Nate Ghena and Silas Dekalita. Ghena is a two-time All-MAC First-Teamer who finished sixth a year ago, while DeKalita was 13th last year, earning second-team honors.
Both should be among the front-runners on Saturday. The key for CMU is No. 3 runner Joseph Emmanuel, a sophomore.
"Joseph, if he can put together a good race, that's a good 1-2-3 punch and that takes some stress away from the freshmen," Kaczor said.
Those freshmen are Luke Anderson and Mark Beckmann who round out the Chippewa lineup along with senior Monte Scott, and juniors Spencer Nousain and Casey Voisin.
"They're running well, mid 25s, and haven't run their best races yet," Kazcor said of the likes of the freshmen. "If you score it out we're sixth ranked. I would hope we're back in that mix of top three like we were last year.
"You're putting yourself in good company if you can beat Ohio, Buffalo, Miami of Ohio, people like that."
Players Mentioned
