Paupore, Rzentkowski Repeat As All-MAC At League Championships

Saturday, October 30

Ypsilanti, Mich.

11 a.m.

Central Michigan University

MAC Championship

Paupore, Rzentkowski Repeat As All-MAC At League Championships

10/30/2021 3:14:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Photo Gallery

By: Katherine Schultz, CMUChippewas.com

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Emily Paupore and Adam Rzentkowski both placed 13^th in their respective races to earn All-Mid-American Conference honors and lead Central Michigan on Saturday at the league championships at Eagle Crest Golf Course.

It is the second consecutive season that Paupore and Rzentkowski have earned all-conference honors. The top seven finishers in each race are First Team All-MAC; those finishing eighth-14^th are second team.

"Adam went for it," CMU coach Jenny Swieton said. "It was the first time this year that I feel like he really went aggressively from the gun and I think it paid off. Obviously he's an All-MAC performer so that's great.

"Emily Paupore had a great race to finish All-MAC -- just super tough and gutty; it was great."

The women's and men's races consisted of 101 and 69 runners respectively. Paupore completed the women's race, a 6K, in 21:26.4, tying her personal record. Rzentkowski finished the men's race, an 8K, in 24:48.4.

They led the Chippewas to a sixth-place finish in the women's team standings and a seventh place in men's.

Eastern Michigan won the men's event behind individual winner Baldvin Magnusson. Toledo placed first in the women's; the Rockets' Joy Chirchir and Faith Linga claiming the top two spots.

Swieton noted that three Chippewa women set personal records in the event. Anya Turner, who placed 24^th, broke her personal record in finishing in 21:59.4, as did Annie Bennett and Ashlyn Nagel, who finished 38^th and 47^th, respectively. Bennett finished in 22:24.3; Nagel in 22:41.8.

Also for the Chippewas, Lauren Beckmann finished 42^nd, Maddy Boyd placed 56^th, and Natalie Newcombe was 87^th.

"The women went out there and were competitive," Swieton said. "They put themselves in a really good position right away and held on with everything they had, did everything they had today."

Behind Rzentkowski in the men's race were CMU teammates Owen Howard (32^nd), Hunter Fougner (43^rd), Riad Rababeh (44^th), Carson White (50^th), Gabe Goosen (55^th), Ben Griffith (67th) and Steven Porter (68^th).

Swieton said that Rababeh and Howard had a bit of a setback in the beginning of the race with a fall but fought their way back with confidence and determination.

"They were playing catch-up a little bit throughout," Swieton said. "Obviously that showed in the results, but they did such a good job at trying to make up. There's only so much you can do once you get taken out; … they kept their composure really, really, well.

"Riad did a really great job at moving up throughout and making up ground from the fall, he toughed it out like it didn't phase him at all, which is super impressive."

Rababeh, along with Ben Griffith, are expected to graduate this year, while the women's team will retain all of its runners.

"I'm definitely a proud coach," Swieton said. "We're not quite where we hope to be in the future, but we're getting closer every single day.

"Every day we're getting closer to where we want to be. These teams are going to do something really big in the near future, and I'm really excited to be a part of it."