EMU - Women's Cross Country Claims First MAC Title in Program History
Provided by EMU
AKRON, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) — Behind an individual title from junior Alsu Bogdanova (Kazan, Russia-Lyceum #83), the Eastern Michigan University women's cross country team claimed their first ever Mid-American Conference title at the 2015 MAC Championships, Saturday, Oct. 31. The Eagles posted a team score of 55 point, placing three harriers within the top-six.
The Green and White were paced by Bogdanova, who claimed the individual MAC title and crossed the finish line in 20:39.26, becoming the fourth Eagle to win the race. Right behind her was sophomore Jordann McDermitt (Davison, Mich.-Davison) and senior Sofie Gallein (Gits, Belgium - Univ. of Leuven), who took fourth and sixth with times of 20:53.62 and 21:09.80, respectively. McDermitt's finish clocked in, nearly 10 seconds faster than her ninth place finish at last year's race. The next Eagle to cross the finish line was senior Amy Frauhammer (Saline, Mich.-Saline), as she placed 21st with a time of 22:01.46. Freshman Sydney Meyers (Zionsville, Ind.-Zionsville Community) posted a solid performance as well, finishing the race in 22:02.77 and taking 23rd, in her championship debut.
Additionally, sophomore Lauren Pottschmidt (Granger, Ind.-Penn) posted a time of 22:57.82, while fellow sophomore Claire Mesa (Rockford, Ill.-Rockford Lutheran) finished the race in 23:21.11. The final two Eagle harriers to cross the finish line were sophomore Danielle Bentzley (Birmingham, Mich.-Seaholm) and redshirt junior Anna Aldrich (Fremont, Ind.-Fremont), who had times of 23:32.01 and 23:36.83, respectively.
Bogdanova, McDermitt, and Gallein all claimed First-Team All-MAC honors based on their performance, which marks the most first-team honorees for EMU since 1996 . Additionally, Head Coach Sue Parks was named MAC Coach of the Year, which is the second of her career and her first at EMU.
Parks was absolutely thrilled for her team following their performance, stating "This was an amazing day for our program. It's hard to put into words what this championship means. We made this our goal when we started our season at cross country camp and to actually capture the title feels great. We had some setbacks with injuries and illnesses during the fall, but the girls remained positive and never lost focus. I couldn't be more proud of the team and the effort that they put in out there on the course today. We were behind half way thorugh the race but the girls really closed hard the last mile. They refused to be beaten. So many people helped us to get to this point and this championship is for everyone who has ever been a part of this program."
Parks also discussed Bogdanova's individual win, stating "Alsu was running in fourth-place with less than 800 meters to go. She had an incredible finish to capture the win. She's made tremendous progress over the last month and I'm really proud of her."
Following a weekend free of competition, the Eagles return to the course for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, Friday, Nov. 13, in Madison, Wis.
Team Standings
1. Eastern Michigan 55
2. Bowling Green 72
3. Central Michigan 73
4. Western Michigan 118
5. Buffalo 134
6. Miami 143
7. Northern Illinois 147
8. Ohio 177
9. Toledo 220
10. Kent State 271
11. Akron 316
12. Ball State 363
First-Team All-MAC
Alsu Bogdanova, EMU
Kelsey Hildreth, NIU
Maria McDaniel, WMU
Jordann McDermitt, EMU
Rachel Walny, BG
Sofie Gallein, EMU
Kristen Olling, CMU
Second-Team All-MAC
Ellen Issac, Ohio
Laura Bess, Miami
Mackenzie McMillin, BG
Kelly Schubert, CMU
Rachel Slingluff, Kent State
Amy Shaw, Buffalo
Ericka Hubser, NIU
2015 MAC Champion: Alsu Bogdanova, EMU
2015 MAC Coach of the Year: Sue Parks, EMU
EMU Individual Results
1. Alsu Bogdanova 20:39.26
4. Jordann McDermitt 20:53.62
6. Sofie Gallein 21:09.80
21. Amy Frauhammer 22:01.46
23. Sydney Meyers 22:02.77
56. Lauren Pottschmidt 22:57.82
72. Claire Mesa 23:21.11
77. Danielle Bentzley 23:32.01
80. Anna Aldrich 23:36.83
