Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, October 27
Toledo, Ohio
11 a.m.
Eastern Michigan University
vs
MAC Championships
Women's Cross Country Captures Fourth Straight MAC Championship
10/27/2018 12:32:00 PM | Women's XC
Cizmas became the fourth Eagle in five years to win the individual championship
Complete Results
TOLEDO, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's cross country team won its fourth consecutive Mid-American Conference Championship Saturday, Oct. 27, in Toledo, Ohio. The Eagles totaled a final team score of 76 points, with three harriers finishing within the top-15.
"I couldn't be more proud of this team," said EMU Head Coach Sue Parks. "I knew that it was going to be a hard fought battle and it was exactly that. Toledo and Miami ran tough and it came down to the end. I feel that we did a good job of running our own race and making moves at the right time. These girls deserve all of the credit for delivering a big performance when it counted. We faced some adversity this season but the team stayed positive and never stopped believing that we could win. This is a special moment for our program."
Redshirt senior Natalie Cizmas (Clinton Twp., Mich.-Chippewa Valley) captured the individual crown with a final time of 20:34.89. Cizmas becomes the sixth Eagle to capture the individual title, which ties Eastern for the second-most individual champions in the conference. Additionally, the co-captain continued EMU's recent streak of champions, as Eastern harriers have captured the crown in four of the last five years. For her efforts, Cizmas garnered First Team All-MAC honors for the second time in her career, making it three straight seasons she has earned All-MAC honors.
"Natalie ran a very smart race and when the opportunity presented itself at the end of the race, she was able to make a decisive move and come away with the win," explained Parks. "Natalie is a true example of hard work over a long period of time paying off. She wasn't happy with her cross country season last year and she was determined to make this one special. I'm really excited for her."
Right behind Cizmas was senior co-captain Sydney Meyers (Zionsville, Ind.-Zionsville Community), who also captured First Team All-MAC with a fourth-place finish, crossing in 20:44.85. Not only does her fourth-place serve as a career-best finish in the title race, but it also marks the second time she has earned First Team All-MAC honors, while making it three straight seasons of collecting All-MAC accolades.
Junior Emily Smith (Somerset, England-Wells Cathedral) also turned in a strong performance, nabbing Second Team All-MAC honors with a 13th-place finish, concluding the race with a time of 21:32.24. Sophomore Madison Distelrath (Fort Wayne, Ind.-Homestead) placed 48 spots higher than in last year's race, finishing 18th overall with a personal-best 6k time of 21:40.30. Sophomore Ashleigh Simonis (Cape Town, South Africa-Milnerton) rounded out Eastern's scorers, finishing 40th with a mark of 22:24.06.
Parks was honored with her fourth MAC Coach of the Year honors while at the helm of EMU. Moreover, that gives her five overall, which is the second-most of any coach in conference history.
The Green and White will have a week of rest but will kick back into action for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Friday, Nov. 9, in Terre Haute, Ind.
2018 MAC Women's Cross Country All-MAC First Team
Natalie Cizmas, Eastern Michigan
Athena Welsh, Toledo
Rachel Walny, Bowling Green
Sydney Meyers, Eastern Michigan
Sarah Anderson, Western Michigan
Megan O'Neill, Central Michigan
Alesha Vovk, Miami
2018 MAC Women's Cross Country All-MAC Second Team
Ashley Tutt, Northern Illinois
Maria McDaniel, Western Michigan
Kirsten Olling, Central Michigan
Mackenzie Callahan, Northern Illinois
Alyssa Atkinson, Ohio
Emily Smith, Eastern Michigan
Juliane Sormain, Western Michigan
2018 MAC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year
Sue Parks, Eastern Michigan
2018 MAC Women's Cross Country Freshman of the Year
Claire Steigerwald, Toledo
Team Results
1. Eastern Michigan 76
2. Toledo 80
3. Miami 97
4. Northern Illinois 127
5. Western Michigan 136
6. Central Michigan 142
7. Bowling Green 155
8. Akron 171
9. Ohio 208
10. Kent State 233
11. Ball State 305
12. Buffalo 335
EMU Individual Results (* Denotes personal-best)
1. Natalie Cizmas 20:34.9
4. Sydney Meyers 20:44.9
13. Emily Smith 21:32.3
18. Madison Distelrath 21:40.3*
40. Ashleigh Simonis 22:24.1
48. Kaitlyn St. Bernard 22:34.9
89. Lexi Seifert 23:32.4
93. Olivia Chandler 23:35.3
95. Emily DeLine 23:39.5
TOLEDO, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's cross country team won its fourth consecutive Mid-American Conference Championship Saturday, Oct. 27, in Toledo, Ohio. The Eagles totaled a final team score of 76 points, with three harriers finishing within the top-15.
"I couldn't be more proud of this team," said EMU Head Coach Sue Parks. "I knew that it was going to be a hard fought battle and it was exactly that. Toledo and Miami ran tough and it came down to the end. I feel that we did a good job of running our own race and making moves at the right time. These girls deserve all of the credit for delivering a big performance when it counted. We faced some adversity this season but the team stayed positive and never stopped believing that we could win. This is a special moment for our program."
With the victory, EMU is now tied for fourth-most in MAC cross country titles. Additionally, Eastern's four straight championships tie the most consecutive team titles in conference history, with the last streak occurring from 1989-1992 (Ohio).Your 2018 @MACSports Cross Country Champions!!
— EMU Women's T&F/XC (@EMUWXC_TF) October 27, 2018
FOUR STRAIGHT 🏆🏆🏆🏆#EMUEagles | #ChampionsBuiltHere pic.twitter.com/5FCKkb4Z4N
Redshirt senior Natalie Cizmas (Clinton Twp., Mich.-Chippewa Valley) captured the individual crown with a final time of 20:34.89. Cizmas becomes the sixth Eagle to capture the individual title, which ties Eastern for the second-most individual champions in the conference. Additionally, the co-captain continued EMU's recent streak of champions, as Eastern harriers have captured the crown in four of the last five years. For her efforts, Cizmas garnered First Team All-MAC honors for the second time in her career, making it three straight seasons she has earned All-MAC honors.
"Natalie ran a very smart race and when the opportunity presented itself at the end of the race, she was able to make a decisive move and come away with the win," explained Parks. "Natalie is a true example of hard work over a long period of time paying off. She wasn't happy with her cross country season last year and she was determined to make this one special. I'm really excited for her."
Right behind Cizmas was senior co-captain Sydney Meyers (Zionsville, Ind.-Zionsville Community), who also captured First Team All-MAC with a fourth-place finish, crossing in 20:44.85. Not only does her fourth-place serve as a career-best finish in the title race, but it also marks the second time she has earned First Team All-MAC honors, while making it three straight seasons of collecting All-MAC accolades.
Junior Emily Smith (Somerset, England-Wells Cathedral) also turned in a strong performance, nabbing Second Team All-MAC honors with a 13th-place finish, concluding the race with a time of 21:32.24. Sophomore Madison Distelrath (Fort Wayne, Ind.-Homestead) placed 48 spots higher than in last year's race, finishing 18th overall with a personal-best 6k time of 21:40.30. Sophomore Ashleigh Simonis (Cape Town, South Africa-Milnerton) rounded out Eastern's scorers, finishing 40th with a mark of 22:24.06.
Parks was honored with her fourth MAC Coach of the Year honors while at the helm of EMU. Moreover, that gives her five overall, which is the second-most of any coach in conference history.
The Green and White will have a week of rest but will kick back into action for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Friday, Nov. 9, in Terre Haute, Ind.
2018 MAC Women's Cross Country All-MAC First Team
Natalie Cizmas, Eastern Michigan
Athena Welsh, Toledo
Rachel Walny, Bowling Green
Sydney Meyers, Eastern Michigan
Sarah Anderson, Western Michigan
Megan O'Neill, Central Michigan
Alesha Vovk, Miami
2018 MAC Women's Cross Country All-MAC Second Team
Ashley Tutt, Northern Illinois
Maria McDaniel, Western Michigan
Kirsten Olling, Central Michigan
Mackenzie Callahan, Northern Illinois
Alyssa Atkinson, Ohio
Emily Smith, Eastern Michigan
Juliane Sormain, Western Michigan
2018 MAC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year
Sue Parks, Eastern Michigan
2018 MAC Women's Cross Country Freshman of the Year
Claire Steigerwald, Toledo
Team Results
1. Eastern Michigan 76
2. Toledo 80
3. Miami 97
4. Northern Illinois 127
5. Western Michigan 136
6. Central Michigan 142
7. Bowling Green 155
8. Akron 171
9. Ohio 208
10. Kent State 233
11. Ball State 305
12. Buffalo 335
EMU Individual Results (* Denotes personal-best)
1. Natalie Cizmas 20:34.9
4. Sydney Meyers 20:44.9
13. Emily Smith 21:32.3
18. Madison Distelrath 21:40.3*
40. Ashleigh Simonis 22:24.1
48. Kaitlyn St. Bernard 22:34.9
89. Lexi Seifert 23:32.4
93. Olivia Chandler 23:35.3
95. Emily DeLine 23:39.5
Players Mentioned
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
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