Correction: We incorrectly identified Morgan Reichert as the runner returning from injury this weekend, as the runner is actually Morgan Meade. This article has been changed since its original posting.
The men’s and women’s cross country are hoping to catch opponents off guard when they stroll into Bowling Green for Saturday’s Mid-American Conference Championships.
After competing in five meets earlier this season, the Bobcat runners are looking to end the season on a positive note in the final team meet.
“We want to be banging it out up there for the top,” coach Clay Calkins said. “We’re going to have our work cut out for us.”
During the 2012 MAC Championships, the women brought home third place while the men finished seventh. In the 2013 preseason MAC coaches’ poll, the Bobcats were predicted to finish this year in the same positions.
If all goes well for the men, they should see improvement.
Aside from a subpar race at Notre Dame, the Bobcats have performed well this season, including wins at the Ohio Invitational, Miami Invitational and Pre-National meets.
Some of the wins may have resulted from the weaker competition at larger competitions.
“It’s cool that we’re the underdogs and no one sees us coming,” sophomore Jarrod Genther said. “This is what we look forward to all year.”
Eastern Michigan has dominated the MAC this year and is the favorite after winning the race last year, but Calkins believes his team can finish anywhere between second and sixth.
“Second place would have to be the perfect day for us,” Genther said. “On an average day we can be in fourth.”
Genther and senior Chase Robinson have steadily led the Bobcats all year and Ohio will need another solid performance if they want a top three finish.
On the women’s side, this weekend will be about redemption after finishing 41st out of 49 teams during their last meet at Pre-Nationals.
“(The women) struggled,” Calkins said. “We’re definitely more of a competitive team than that.”
Top three runner on the team, sophomore Morgan Meade, sat out the meet because of an injury; she is expected to run Saturday.
Senior Juli Accurso has dominated at the MAC Championship in the past and should have the same success this weekend. Accurso, a two time All-American, finished with the top individual time at the 2011 and 2012 meets to pace the Bobcats.
The men will race against Akron, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami and Toledo, while the women will also go head-to-head with Ball State, Western Michigan and Northern Illinois.
The men’s race will begin at 11 a.m., while the women will follow at noon.
“The team is pretty hyped about the race,” Genther said. “We’re going to show some teams we’re for real.”
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