Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, October 21
Dexter, Mich.
4:30 P.M.
Eastern Michigan University
vs
EMU Fall Classic
Photo by: Andrew Mascharka
Women's Cross Country Closes Regular Season with Fall Classic
10/21/2016 6:55:00 PM | Women's XC
The Eagles finished a strong regular season with their annual home meet
Complete Results
Photo Gallery
DEXTER, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The No. 14 Eastern Michigan University women's cross country capped off an impressive regular season today, Oct. 21, with the annual EMU Fall Classic in Dexter, Mich. Eastern had a total of 7 harriers participate in the 5,000-meter race, with three bringing home spots in the top-50.
"I thought that it was a good effort for those who raced," stated Head Coach Sue Parks. "The course was wet and muddy, so it was not ideal conditions to run fast, but I felt that the girls competed hard. It was a good opportunity for some of our team members to get another race in. For the rest of the squad, training has been going well, and we're excited about the championship part of the season."
Junior Danielle Bentzley (Birmingham, Mich. – Seaholm) paced the team throughout the early portion of the race. Behind her, redshirt sophomore Rebekah Branham (Circleville, Ohio – Circleville) was the second Eagle, while junior Claire Mesa (Rockford, Ill. – Rockford Lutheran) was in third.
As the race progressed, Bentzley held strong leading the Green and White. Branham also maintained her spot, but junior Lauren Pottschmidt (Granger, Ind. – Penn) crept into the third spot.
At the finish line, Bentzley was the first Eagle to complete the race, posting a solid time of 18:31.2. Behind her, Mesa was the second EMU harrier to cross the finish line, as she placed 48th in 19:17.7 The Rockford, Ill. native narrowly beat out Pottschmidt, as the Granger, Ind. product took 49th with a time of 19:20.9.
Meanwhile, Branham brought home 51st after clocking in at 19:35.8. Sophomore Leah Wallace (Reynoldsburg, Ohio – Reynoldsburg) managed to nab 65th, posting a time of 20:08.4. A pair of freshmen rounded out the group, as Abbigail Stemple (Mason, Ohio – William Mason) and Gabrielle Peck (Ann Arbor, Mich. – Skyline) took 75th and 95th, respectively.
The Green and White will now turn their focus towards the postseason, as the Mid-American Conference Championships are just over a week away. The conference championships will be held in Kent, Ohio, as Eastern will look to win their second consecutive MAC title.
Photo Gallery
DEXTER, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The No. 14 Eastern Michigan University women's cross country capped off an impressive regular season today, Oct. 21, with the annual EMU Fall Classic in Dexter, Mich. Eastern had a total of 7 harriers participate in the 5,000-meter race, with three bringing home spots in the top-50.
"I thought that it was a good effort for those who raced," stated Head Coach Sue Parks. "The course was wet and muddy, so it was not ideal conditions to run fast, but I felt that the girls competed hard. It was a good opportunity for some of our team members to get another race in. For the rest of the squad, training has been going well, and we're excited about the championship part of the season."
Junior Danielle Bentzley (Birmingham, Mich. – Seaholm) paced the team throughout the early portion of the race. Behind her, redshirt sophomore Rebekah Branham (Circleville, Ohio – Circleville) was the second Eagle, while junior Claire Mesa (Rockford, Ill. – Rockford Lutheran) was in third.
As the race progressed, Bentzley held strong leading the Green and White. Branham also maintained her spot, but junior Lauren Pottschmidt (Granger, Ind. – Penn) crept into the third spot.
At the finish line, Bentzley was the first Eagle to complete the race, posting a solid time of 18:31.2. Behind her, Mesa was the second EMU harrier to cross the finish line, as she placed 48th in 19:17.7 The Rockford, Ill. native narrowly beat out Pottschmidt, as the Granger, Ind. product took 49th with a time of 19:20.9.
Meanwhile, Branham brought home 51st after clocking in at 19:35.8. Sophomore Leah Wallace (Reynoldsburg, Ohio – Reynoldsburg) managed to nab 65th, posting a time of 20:08.4. A pair of freshmen rounded out the group, as Abbigail Stemple (Mason, Ohio – William Mason) and Gabrielle Peck (Ann Arbor, Mich. – Skyline) took 75th and 95th, respectively.
The Green and White will now turn their focus towards the postseason, as the Mid-American Conference Championships are just over a week away. The conference championships will be held in Kent, Ohio, as Eastern will look to win their second consecutive MAC title.
EMU Individual Results (5K)
19. Danielle Bentzley 18:31.2
48. Claire Mesa 19:17.7
49. Lauren Pottschmidt 19:20.9
51. Rebekah Branham 19:35.8
65. Leah Wallace 20:08.4
75. Abbigail Stemple 20:49.6
95. Gabrielle Peck 23:06.1
Players Mentioned
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
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