Ohio junior Juli Accurso entered the NCAA Regionals in Madison, Wisc., on Friday with two goals in mind: advancing to Nationals for the second straight year and, if she had an extra spring in her step, take home the regional race.
Accurso controlled the fate of her ambitions, pacing the field for a first place finish, becoming the first runner in Ohio history to win a regional race.|
“I focused on staying with the pack in the beginning of the race and let the leaders pull me along. I tried to take a surge at the 3k and 4k but they were unsuccessful,” Accurso said. “By the 5k, I gained a small amount of distance from the other two leaders and heard my teammate, Emily Pifer, telling me I had to keep pressing.”
Her performance was not reflective of Ohio’s as a whole, however, as the Bobcats’ women’s squad placed 12th overall, while the men’s team took the 20th spot.
Accurso’s win, which was Ohio’s only noteworthy performance, was only the second time in Mid-American Conference history a runner took home a regional crown.
“I was so proud of myself. That’s the smartest race I’ve run all season. It was a great feeling to execute a plan and accomplish what I knew I had the potential to accomplish,”Accurso said.
Accurso said after the race that the levity of her win had not yet hit home. The victory was her second straight, as she won her second-straight MAC individual race Oct. 27, and accomplished her fifth top three finish of the season.
Ohio coach Clay Calkins said he was impressed by Accurso’s performance, but was not as pleased with the rest of the women’s team’s showing.
“We fell short of what we had hoped for, but still ran well and had a solid top five,” he said.
The Bobcats’ next-best runner was sophomore Morgan Reichert, who finished 87th overall, while junior Morgan Meade came in one second behind.
The men’s team also fell short of expectations Friday, although Calkins believes its 20th place finish was a building block for the future.
Senior Tyler Ames had the Bobcats’ best time, finishing 75th overall on the 10-kilometer course. Freshman Jerrod Genther and redshirt freshman Jacob Stephens were Ohio’s only runners to finish inside the race’s top 100.
“It was a tall order for our guys,” Calkins said. “Tyler Ames is the only athlete that has ever ran a 10K before.”
Accurso is the only Ohio runner whose season continues on this week, as she will compete Saturday in Louisville for a spot in the national spotlight.
UP NEXT
NCAA Nationals
Louisville, Ky.
11 a.m. Friday
ks934011@ohiou.edu
