Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, November 11
Madison, Wis.
Noon
Eastern Michigan University
at
NCAA Great Lakes Regional
Photo by: Mid-American Conference
Eagles Turn Their Sights Towards NCAA Great Lakes Regional
11/9/2016 11:53:00 AM | Women's XC
The Green and White look to maintain positive momentum from the MAC Championships
Meet Information
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - Just two weeks removed from their second ever Mid-American Conference Championship, the No. 13 Eastern Michigan University women's cross country team will return to action, Friday, Nov. 11, at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. After a very strong season up to this point, the Eagles look to break through and secure a top-two finish at the event, which comes with an automatic team qualification to the NCAA Championships, Nov. 19.
"Our training has been going well since the MAC meet," stated Head Coach Sue Parks. "We feel like we're ready to have our best race of the season as a team. If our front runners continue to run the way that they have all season and we keep our gap close, we will have a great chance at reaching our goals in this meet."
Last season, the Green and White had their best regional finish since 1996, taking sixth-place with a total of 216 points. Senior Alsu Bogdanova (Kazan, Russia - Lyceum #83) led the way, finishing ninth with a time of 20:50.3 after securing the MAC individual title just one meet earlier. Junior Jordann McDermitt (Davison, Mich. - Davison) had a strong race as well, bringing home 19th after clocking in at 21:01.0. Finally, redshirt senior Sofie Gallein (Gits, Belgium - Univ. of Leuven) nabbed 34th with a time of 21:24.5. For their efforts, both Bogdanova and McDermitt earned all-region honors.
Two weeks ago, the Eagles brought home their second consecutive, and overall, MAC Championship behind a strong team performance. Like she had been doing all year, McDermitt led the squad, winning her first-ever MAC individual title after crossing the finish line in 20:34.1. Bogdanova, who finished first last season, turned in a third-place performance with a time of 20:59.3, while redshirt sophomore Natalie Cizmas (Clinton Twp., Mich. - Chippewa Valley) took fourth in 21:10.5 at her first ever cross country conference championships.
Sophomore Sydney Meyers (Zionsville, Ind. - Zionsville Community) also brought home a top-10 finish, taking seventh in 21:11.7. Finally, Gallein rounded out the team's top-five, placing 12th with a time of 21:43.7. McDermitt, Bogdanova, Cizmas, and Meyers were all named First Team All-MAC, while Gallein secured second team honors. Parks was also named the MAC Coach of the Year for the second time as an Eagle, and the third overall.
In total, 34 teams will be in attendance on Friday, including three teams ranked in the most recent United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) coaches' poll. Eastern will square off with a number of strong squads, highlighted by No. 5 Michigan, No. 14 Notre Dame, and No. 22 Michigan State.
The race will be held at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison, Wis. The women will begin the event with a 6,000-meter race at noon, while the men are slated to kick off their 10,000-meter race at 1 p.m. For more information on the event, please click here.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - Just two weeks removed from their second ever Mid-American Conference Championship, the No. 13 Eastern Michigan University women's cross country team will return to action, Friday, Nov. 11, at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. After a very strong season up to this point, the Eagles look to break through and secure a top-two finish at the event, which comes with an automatic team qualification to the NCAA Championships, Nov. 19.
"Our training has been going well since the MAC meet," stated Head Coach Sue Parks. "We feel like we're ready to have our best race of the season as a team. If our front runners continue to run the way that they have all season and we keep our gap close, we will have a great chance at reaching our goals in this meet."
Last season, the Green and White had their best regional finish since 1996, taking sixth-place with a total of 216 points. Senior Alsu Bogdanova (Kazan, Russia - Lyceum #83) led the way, finishing ninth with a time of 20:50.3 after securing the MAC individual title just one meet earlier. Junior Jordann McDermitt (Davison, Mich. - Davison) had a strong race as well, bringing home 19th after clocking in at 21:01.0. Finally, redshirt senior Sofie Gallein (Gits, Belgium - Univ. of Leuven) nabbed 34th with a time of 21:24.5. For their efforts, both Bogdanova and McDermitt earned all-region honors.
Two weeks ago, the Eagles brought home their second consecutive, and overall, MAC Championship behind a strong team performance. Like she had been doing all year, McDermitt led the squad, winning her first-ever MAC individual title after crossing the finish line in 20:34.1. Bogdanova, who finished first last season, turned in a third-place performance with a time of 20:59.3, while redshirt sophomore Natalie Cizmas (Clinton Twp., Mich. - Chippewa Valley) took fourth in 21:10.5 at her first ever cross country conference championships.
Sophomore Sydney Meyers (Zionsville, Ind. - Zionsville Community) also brought home a top-10 finish, taking seventh in 21:11.7. Finally, Gallein rounded out the team's top-five, placing 12th with a time of 21:43.7. McDermitt, Bogdanova, Cizmas, and Meyers were all named First Team All-MAC, while Gallein secured second team honors. Parks was also named the MAC Coach of the Year for the second time as an Eagle, and the third overall.
In total, 34 teams will be in attendance on Friday, including three teams ranked in the most recent United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) coaches' poll. Eastern will square off with a number of strong squads, highlighted by No. 5 Michigan, No. 14 Notre Dame, and No. 22 Michigan State.
The race will be held at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison, Wis. The women will begin the event with a 6,000-meter race at noon, while the men are slated to kick off their 10,000-meter race at 1 p.m. For more information on the event, please click here.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
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