Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
MAC Championships
Back-to-Back-to-Back: Men's Cross Country Earns Third-Straight MAC Title
10/30/2021 2:00:00 PM | Men's XC, Women's XC
Baldvin Magnusson wins the individual title with an 8K time of 24:05.7
Men's Results (PDF) | Women's Results (PDF)
Men's Photos | Women's Photos
Recap Video.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University cross country program excelled at the Mid-American Conference Championships at Eagle Crest Golf Club today, Oct. 30. The men's program tabbed its third consecutive MAC title with 30 points, while the women finished ninth with 227.
The Green and Gold dominated the race from start to finish, with eight Eagles finishing in the top-20. Additionally, the spread between the first and fifth finisher for EMU was just 37.9 seconds. Junior Baldvin Magnusson (Akureyri, Iceland-Hull University) earned his first individual MAC title, placing first in the 8K race with a time of 24:05.7. The Iceland native dethroned two-time individual winner, Josh Park of Ohio, to become the first EMU harrier since Hlynur Andersson in 2017 to claim the top spot in the league showdown.
The women's team saw four members earn personal-bests, with solid performances from freshman Marta Moreno (Wassenaar, The Netherlands-American School of the Hague) (21st - 21:55.4) and junior Lexi Seifert (Waterford, Pa.-Villa Maria Academy) (25th - 22:00.8). Furthermore, this was first time since 2019 that the squad posted two runners in the top-30.
"I'm really proud of our men," said Director/Head Coach Sue Parks. "They really put it all together today. It was a great performance across the board. This group works so hard; no one is more deserving. We had some setbacks on the women's side and we didn't reach our goals as a team. I'm disappointed with our finish but I'm happy for Marta Moreno and Lexi Seifert who had strong races individually."
"It was a great day for the men, to get the team title and for Vinny to take the individual title on our home course was special," said Head Coach Mark Rinker. "All the credit goes to the guys, they put together our best team race when it mattered today!"
2021 MAC XC Championships
Oct. 30, 2021 | Ypsilanti, Mich.
* = Personal-best
MAC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year: Mark Rinker, Eastern Michigan
MAC Men's Cross Country Freshman of the Year: Baidy Ba, Kent State
Men's Cross Country All-MAC First Team
Baldvin Magnusson, Eastern Michigan
Josh Park, Ohio
Toby Gualter, Eastern Michigan
Jacob Harris, Toledo
Josh Hill, Eastern Michigan
Anthony Camerieri, Miami
Seth Gard, Ohio
Men's Cross Country All-MAC Second Team
Ben Otis, Toledo
Chris Devaney, Eastern Michigan
Matthew Chesum, Toledo
Drew Johnson, Kent State
Andy Payne, Eastern Michigan
Adam Rzentkowski, Central Michigan
Michael Tonkovich, Ohio
MAC Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year: Andrea Grove-McDonough, Toledo
MAC Women's Cross Country Freshman of the Year: Joy Chirchir, Toledo
Women's Cross Country All-MAC First Team
Joy Chirchir, Toledo
Semra Karaslan, Toledo
Carmen Riano, Miami
Elka Machan, Ball State
Faith Linga, Toledo
Beth Arentz, Akron
Lou Trois, Toledo
Women's Cross Country All-MAC Second Team
Ava Nuttall, Miami
Katie Vitou, Miami
Katerina Shuble, Bowling Green
Sydney Niekamp, Bowling Green
Hannah Long, Akron
Emily Paupore, Central Michigan
Lindsey Scarton, Central Michigan
Meet Notes
Men's 8K Team Results
1. Eastern Michigan 30
2. Toledo 68
3. Miami 87
4. Ohio 101
5. Buffalo 146
6. Kent State 155
7. Central Michigan 164
8. Bowling Green 195
Men's 8K Individual Results
1. Baldvin Magnusson 24:05.7
3. Toby Gualter 24:15.1*
5. Josh Hill 24:31.7*
9. Chris Devaney 24:39.0
12. Andy Payne 24:43.6
16. Solomon Costa 24:57.3
18. Noah Perrin 25:06.2*
19. Linus Vennemann 25:08.6*
32. Eddie Zuercher 25:40.2
Women's 6K Team Results
1. Toledo 32
2. Miami 61
3. Akron 92
4. Bowling Green 136
5. Ohio 155
6. Central Michigan 163
7. Ball State 195
8. Kent State 220
9. Eastern Michigan 227
10. Buffalo 245
11. Western Michigan 269
12. Northern Illinois 282
Women's 6K Individual Results
21. Marta Moreno 21:55.4*
27. Lexi Seifert 22:00.8*
48. Kaitlyn St. Bernard 22:42.7
67. Olivia Chandler 23:09.9
76. Chloie Musta 23:19.7*
77. Sofia Ivanko 23:20.8
98. Ella Garvin 24:47.1*
99. Esme Davies 25:25.6
Historical Notes
» The men's team won their 25th Mid-American Conference Championship in program history.
» The men's team victory is the program's 15th in the last 17 years.
» Magnusson became the first EMU harrier since Hlynur Andersson in 2017 to claim the top spot at the league showdown.
» Magnusson dethroned Josh Park of Ohio, who won the individual title in 2018 and 2020.
» Rinker earned the MAC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year award for the first time at the helm of the program.
» In the past three seasons, three different head coaches have earned the MAC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year award: John Goodridge (2019), Sue Parks (2020), and Mark Rinker (2021).
» Both EMU rosters saw four harriers achieve personal-bests.
Up Next
Both teams will now prepare for the Great Lakes Regional. The regional meet is hosted by the University of Evansville on Friday, Nov. 12. The first race will be the women's 6K at 11 a.m. CT, followed by the men's 10K race at 12 p.m. CT. The top-two teams from each race at the meet automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships.
For updates on all things EMU cross country and track and field, continue to check EMUEagles.com or follow the team on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook at @EMUXC_TF.
Players Mentioned
