Eagles Search for Three-Peat at MAC Cross Country Championships

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EAGLES LOOK FOR THREE-PEAT: The Eastern Michigan University men’s cross country team will travel to Mt. Pleasant, Mich., to compete in the 2007 Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships Saturday, Oct. 27. The men’s race is scheduled for noon following the women's championship which has an 11 a.m. start.

The men are seeking their third consecutive MAC Championship title and 13th in school history. The Eagles won the 2005 Championship with 34 points, beating out second place Miami by 34 points. The 2006 squad set a record for the least amount of points scored by a team (23 points) in a nine-team field. They out-scored runner-up Central Michigan University by 41 points.

After losing last year’s MAC Champion and All-American Corey Nowitzke to graduation, the Eagles were looking for a new front runner and junior Josh Karanja quickly filled that spot at the first meet of the season and has remained so ever since. He was named MAC Runner of the Week for Sept. 24 and Oct. 1. He broke the 24-minute mark at Pre-Nationals and is one of only two individuals in the MAC to do so this season. He won the individual title at the Western Ontario Invite (31:52-10,00-meters) and finished second at the Michigan Open (31:20-10,000-meters), 18th at the prestigious Notre Dame Invitational (24:20-8,000-meters), 32nd against the nation’s best at Pre-Nationals (23:56-8,000-meters) and was the top MAC runner in his race. He has improved his 8,000-meter time by 40 seconds this season.

Josh Perrin continued where he left off for the Eagles last season. He finished second last year at the MAC Championship as the team’s no. 2 runner and the junior has been in that position for four out of the five meets he has participated in this fall. He has improved his 8K mark by six seconds this season.

The EMU harrier juniors continue to dominate the team as Kyle Mena took over as the no. 3 runner after being injured last season. His 8K time has improved by 48 seconds this season.

The remaining spots have been covered by Luke Chrusciel, David Brent, Wade Wines, Neal Naughton and Curtis Vollmar. Each one has flip flopped between spots four through seven and each one will look to contribute on Saturday.

Head coach John Goodridge feels confident in his runners.

"We are anticipating a spirited competition in the true tradition of the MAC Championships," said Goodridge.

The Eastern Michigan men’s cross country program has a rich tradition of producing MAC team titles as well as individual titles. They have won team titles in 1973, 1974, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2005 and 2006. They have had 11 individuals claim 15 Championship titles including Gordon Minty (1972-74), Dave Smith (1975), Joe Caruso (1976), Dominic Middleton (1992), Carl Warren (1993), Clint Verran (1995), Ben Reese (1997), Blake McDowell (1999-2000) Boaz Cheboiywo (2001), Gavin Thompson (2002-03) and most recently Nowitzke (2006).

Eastern Michigan has been in the MAC since 1972 and since then has produced 12 team titles, the most of any school in that same time period. Miami is second with eight team titles in a 35-year span and Central Michigan is third with seven titles.

This years championship will feature the Eagles against a very talented Miami squad. Both teams have a runner who has broken the 24-minute mark and the teams were comparable at the Pre-NCAA meet. They did not race one another, but EMU finished 20th in the White race with 510 points and an average five man time of 24:33. In Miami’s race, the RedHawks finished 21st in the Blue race with 530 points and an average team time for the top five runners of 24:32.

HAMMERSMITH EARNS FIRST MAC RUNNER OF WEEK NOD: The Mid-American Conference announced Tuesday, Oct. 23, that redshirt freshman Matt Hammersmith earned MAC Runner of the Week honors.

The Wolcottville, Mich., native led the way for the Eagles at the annual EMU Classic Oct. 19. As the top finisher for the team, he ran a season and career-best 10K time of 32:59 and finished 11th in the non-scoring meet.

He and the rest of the squad will prepare for the MAC Championships, Oct. 27, in Mt. Pleasant, Mich.

HAMMERSMITH LEADS THE WAY AT EMU CLASSIC: For the first time this season, it was not junior Josh Karanja leading the Eagles in a meet but redshirt freshman Matt Hammersmith at the EMU Classic, Oct. 19. He finished the 10K course in 11th place in a time of 32:59. Other finishers for the men’s team were Mark Wehrman (14; 33:20), Ransom Brown (16; 33:29), Willy Dague (18; 33:55), Jake Dubois (29; 34:45) and Joel Kirsch (30; 34:58). The Green and White sat out the team’s top eight runners in preparation for next week’s MAC Championships.

SPEEDY KARANJA: Josh Karanja broke the 24-minute mark at the Pre-NCAA meet (Oct. 13). His time of 23:56 was good for 32nd. He was the top MAC runner in his race as well.

A WEEKEND OF BESTS: Several cross country runners set collegiate bests at Pre-NCAA Oct. 13, including Josh Karanja, Josh Perrin, Kyle Mena and Luke Chrusciel. Karanja broke his by 24 seconds this week and has improved his 8K by 40 seconds this season. Perrin improved his 8K mark by six seconds this weekend. Mena improved his mark by 29 seconds this weekend and has bested his 8K mark this season by 38 seconds. Chrusciel improved by five seconds at Pre-Nats and a total of 28 seconds on the season.

GREAT SHOWING AT PRE-NATS: The Eastern Michigan University men’s cross country team took on tough competition at the NCAA Pre-National Meet in Terre Haute, Ind., and came away in 20th place (Oct. 13). The Eagles faced 13 nationally-ranked teams in the men’s 8K White Race at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course located at the Wabash Family Sports Center.

The Eagles, who were ranked fourth in the region going into the weekend, were led by Josh Karanja. After a blistering performance at Notre Dame two weeks ago, Karanja solidified his dominance by running an even faster 8K. He finished the championship caliber race in 32nd place in a time of 23:56, 20 seconds faster than his performance at Notre Dame for a new collegiate-best.

JOSH KARANJA: MAC RUNNER OF THE WEEK: Junior Josh Karanja was selected the MAC Runner of the Week for the weeks of September 24 and October 1. Karanja, an Ottawa, Canada, native, turned in a blistering time of 24:20 at the Notre Dame Invitational to finish 18th and lead his team to an eighth place finish overall. This time was his fastest collegiate 8K for the junior, who has stepped in as the number one runner for the Eagles this season after the graduation of All-American Corey Nowitzke.

Karanja also took home the individual victory for the Eagles at the Western Ontario International, winning the 10K race in a time of 31:53, besting his nearest opponent by six seconds. Karanja’s time was the eleventh fastest time in meet history. He also helped his team win the meet in a record-setting 25 points (beating Windsor’s 27 points in 2003). They also set a record for the lowest overall team time total of 161:26 for the top five runners. The previous record, 161:32, was set by the University of Michigan’s 1990 team. He and his fellow scorers finished within 33 seconds of one another.

NOTRE DAME WRAP UP: The Eastern Michigan University men’s cross country team traveled to South Bend, Ind. Sept. 28, to take on some stiff national competition at the prestigious 52nd Annual Notre Dame Invitational held at the nine-hole Notre Dame Golf Course. The Eagles finished in eighth place with 220 points. Host and 12th-ranked Notre Dame took home the team title with 92 points.

Junior Josh Karanja led the Eagles for the third consecutive time this season. The veteran turned in a blistering 24:20, his fastest collegiate 8K, good for an 18th place finish. Second man and fellow junior, Josh Perrin ran the race in a time of 24:47, his second-fastest 8K and finished 42nd.

EAGLES DOMINATE ACROSS THE BORDER: The Eastern Michigan University men’s cross country team dominated a 17-team field at the 2007 Western International held at the Thomas Valley Golf Course on Sept. 15. The Eagles scored 25 points, beating their nearest competitor, Bucknell University by 88 points. They also beat instate and Mid-American Conference rival Central Michigan University. All five scorers for the Eagles finished in the top 10 and within 33 seconds of one another.

The Eagles set a team record for lowest point scored at the meet with 25 points. The previous record was set by the University of Windsor in 2003. They also set a record for the lowest overall team time total of 161:26 for the top five runners. The previous record, 161:32, was set by the University of Michigan’s 1990 team.

VERSUS MICHIGAN: The Eastern Michigan University men’s cross country team opened its 2007 season ready to defend their two consecutive MAC Championship titles. The Eagles competed against cross town rival, University of Michigan Wolverines in a non-scoring meet.

Josh Karanja was the top finisher for the Eagles. He ran the 10,000-meter course in a time of 31:20, finishing second. The next harrier to cross the line for the Eagles was junior Kyle Mena who crossed the line in sixth place with a time of 31:59. The Green and White continued to cross as Curtis Vollmar followed in seventh in a time of 32:05. David Brent was next, finishing eighth, with a time of 32:21.

EAGLES PICKED TO WIN THIRD TITLE: The Mid-American Conference released its 2007 cross country preseason poll and the Eastern Michigan Eagles were once again predicted to win the conference title at the end of October.

The Green and White are going for their third consecutive title this fall, after winning in 2005 and 2006. Last year’s championship team scored the lowest point total at a conference meet (23) in school history.

John Goodridge, the 2006 Coach of the Year, will return seven of the nine runners who competed at last year’s MAC Championship. Junior Josh Perrin returns as the Eagles top MAC runner, after finish second last year. Not far behind him was third place finisher and teammate David Brent. Five more round out the group, including Josh Karanja, Neal Naughton, Curtis Vollmer and Matt Willing.

The 2007 MAC Championships will take place on October 27 and will be hosted by Central Michigan.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

Eagles Search for Three-Peat at MAC Cross Country Championships

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