Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Michigan Intercollegiate
Eagles Take Third at Michigan Intercollegiate
10/9/2009 6:53:29 PM | Men's XC
Vollmar paces EMU with a fifth place finish.
Team Results.
Individual Results.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Despite soggy course conditions, the Eastern Michigan University men's cross country team came up with a third place finish Friday afternoon, Oct. 9, at the Michigan Intercollegiate at the Gainey Athletic Complex in Grand Rapids.
The Eagles took third place with 66 points, finishing just behind runner-up Grand Valley State University (55 points) and the University of Michigan Wolverines, who took home the team title with just 32 team points.
"We completed another good training cycle and again made good team progress in our race this afternoon," said EMU head coach John Goodridge. "There had been a steady downpour the entire day and during the race so the course was quite a muddy quagmire."
Senior captain Curtis Vollmar (Grand Blanc, Mich.-Grand Blanc) paced the Eagles on the afternoon, as he registered his fourth-consecutive top-five finish by taking fifth overall with a time of 25:19.
Redshirt freshman James Hughes (Manchester, Mich.-Manchester) was the next EMU harrier to cross the finish line, as Hughes ran a solid race and finished eighth with a time of 25:31.
Senior captain R.P. White (Hillsdale, Mich.-Hillsdale) rounded out the top-10 at the Michigan Intercollegiate, braving the sloppy conditions to take 10th with a time of 25:44. Junior Matt Hammersmith (Wolcottville, Mich.-Prairie Heights) placed just behind White, taking 13th with a time of 25:48.
True freshman Terefe Ejigu (Mount Cook, Wellington-Wellington-New Zealand) was the next EMU harrier to cross the finish line, taking 30th with a time of 26:16. Sophomore Andrew Pfeiffer (Clarence, N.Y.-Clarence) was one spot behind Ejigu, taking 31st with a time of 26:17.
Sophomore Josh Brent (Monroe, Mich.-St. Mary's Catholic Central-St. Francis) finished with a time of 26:23, good for 35th overall.
"The women's race was first so when the men raced the course was really chewed up," Goodridge added. "The guys had a blast. It was cross country racing for purists and our guys loved it."
The Eagles are back in action Saturday, Oct. 17, when they head to Bowling Green, Ohio for the Falcon Invitational. The race is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Click here for directions to the BGSU cross country course, as well as the course map.
