Saturday, October 31
Akron, OH
University of Toledo
vs
MAC Championships
Toledo Set to Compete in MAC Championships
10/29/2015 4:40:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
CANTON, OH – The Toledo cross country teams will compete for the league crown at the Mid-American Conference Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31. The meet will be hosted by Akron, and will take place at GlenOak High School in Canton, OH. The men will kick off the championship event at 11:00 a.m. on an 8K course. One hour later, the women will defend their MAC title run a 6K course at noon.
Head coach Linh Nguyen will look to use their experiences from the regular season to his advantage in the MAC showcase event.
"The runners will always have nerves because it's a championship race," Nguyen said. "There's no race bigger or more competitive than what we ran at Wisconsin and that should help us gain confidence that we can run with quick athletes."
Nguyen is looking for his teams to help each other and move up as a group.
"We are relying on a strong pack on the women's side," Nguyen said. "We want that group to stay tight and get as forward as possible. On the men's side, we have three frontrunners who will look to get as far forward as possible, and the pack behind them to move up."
Senior Julia Pusateri knows how running in a group makes the meet easier.
"Running together is definitely ideal," Pusateri said. "If we stay together, we can pass people as a pack and pick up a good amount points that way. A frontrunner is not as important in this type of meet since there aren't as many runners."
Sophomore Jax Talbot is looking for the men to build on regular season results.
"Race strategy should be similar to the previous meets for us," Talbot said. "We need to get out fast and work with teammates to catch the runner in front of you."
The women will attempt to defend their MAC title on Saturday. The Rockets won their sixth conference championship last year with a team score of 48. Former Rocket Mackenzie Chojnacky paced the way with a time of 20:30, good for a fourth-place finish. The men finished eighth last year, with a score of 210 while former Rocket Jake Kasperski led the team with a time of 25:26.
The Rockets will return to action at the NCAA Regionals on Nov. 13.
Head coach Linh Nguyen will look to use their experiences from the regular season to his advantage in the MAC showcase event.
"The runners will always have nerves because it's a championship race," Nguyen said. "There's no race bigger or more competitive than what we ran at Wisconsin and that should help us gain confidence that we can run with quick athletes."
Nguyen is looking for his teams to help each other and move up as a group.
"We are relying on a strong pack on the women's side," Nguyen said. "We want that group to stay tight and get as forward as possible. On the men's side, we have three frontrunners who will look to get as far forward as possible, and the pack behind them to move up."
Senior Julia Pusateri knows how running in a group makes the meet easier.
"Running together is definitely ideal," Pusateri said. "If we stay together, we can pass people as a pack and pick up a good amount points that way. A frontrunner is not as important in this type of meet since there aren't as many runners."
Sophomore Jax Talbot is looking for the men to build on regular season results.
"Race strategy should be similar to the previous meets for us," Talbot said. "We need to get out fast and work with teammates to catch the runner in front of you."
The women will attempt to defend their MAC title on Saturday. The Rockets won their sixth conference championship last year with a team score of 48. Former Rocket Mackenzie Chojnacky paced the way with a time of 20:30, good for a fourth-place finish. The men finished eighth last year, with a score of 210 while former Rocket Jake Kasperski led the team with a time of 25:26.
The Rockets will return to action at the NCAA Regionals on Nov. 13.
Players Mentioned
DISTANCE
/ Women's Cross Country
DISTANCE
/ Men's Cross Country
DISTANCE
/ Women's Cross Country
DISTANCE
/ Men's Cross CountryRISE: Beyond The Jersey - Joshuah Taylor - Teaser
Friday, May 30
RISE: Beyond The Jersey - Joshuah Taylor - Blueprints and Finish Lines
Tuesday, May 27
Toledo Women's and Men's Cross Country Mac Champions
Monday, November 04
Monday Minute feat. Geoff Howles of Men's Cross Country
Monday, October 14
