The UB men's cross country squad placed fifth out of 12 participating teams at the Mid-American Conference Championships Saturday at the Eagle Crest Golf Course in Ypsilanti, Mich.
For the second-consecutive year, host Eastern Michigan won the men's competition, with a total of 30 points. UB trailed with a point total of 135, capturing fifth place - a great improvement over last year's 10th-place finish at the MACs.
"I think we had a good season," said Jerimie Slick, a junior member of UB's squad. "Our main goal was to do well at the conference and we did that."
Slick finished sixth (25:21.9) in the 8-kilometer race to earn a spot on the All-Mid-American Conference team. UB junior Todd Ludden followed in eighth place (25:24.5) to land second-team honors. Boaz Cheboiywo of Eastern Michigan won the race with a meet record of 24:11.0.
Slick said the team's outlook for the winter season looks good. "We have a lot of guys that have gotten confidence as of late and are picking up their performance."
At the women's MAC Championships, the Bulls did not fare quite as well. The team finished 11th out of 13 schools for the third-straight year. Their point total of 271 was disappointing, and Toledo easily took the title with 71 points.
Melissa Burrows was Buffalo's top women's finisher. In the 5-kilometer race, she placed 24th among the 110 participating runners. Toledo's Briana Shook captured the race in 17:49.9.
Cross country's final meet of the season will be the NCAA Northeast Regionals on Nov. 10 in Boston.
