The Bulls headed into Ypsilanti, Mich. hoping to avoid embarrassment while running against the best in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).
At the end of the match, smiles and pride replaced any embarrassment that might have occurred.
On Saturday, the men and women's cross-country teams competed in the MAC Championships and, while the teams have had poor showings in previous years, the Bulls surprised the conference, placing higher than initially expected.
The men's team placed sixth out of nine teams while the women's side ranked seventh out of 12, capping their best results since 2002 and 2005, respectively.
"The fact that we have been very consistent with our training led to our performance over the weekend," said head coach Vicki Mitchell. "After the team ran the track on Friday afternoon, they were able to establish an appropriate strategy that prevailed during the meet. We proved to everyone in our conference that we're better than they gave us credit for."
Buffalo's better-than-usual placement was due to the play of senior Mary Veith for the women's team and sophomore Ryan Bloom of the men's team.
Veith earned first team All-MAC honors by placing fifth out of 101 runners in the 5K race. She set a personal record, running 17:16.40, 57 seconds faster than her best time on the season. She ran 18:13.00 at the UB Stampede Invitational on Sept. 20.
Veith is no stranger to success. Last season, she placed third in the MAC Championship. This is her third consecutive season as a first team All-MAC honoree and she has been consistent as one of the Bulls' premiere runners.
Mitchell wasn't at all surprised with Veith's performance.
"Mary just went out and ran hard," Mitchell said. "She's a very tough woman and doesn't give herself enough credit for being as tough as she is."
Bloom placed fifth in the 8K race with a season-best time of 24:44.90, besting his previous record by almost 20 seconds. He ran 25:03.82 at the Bowling Green Falcon Invitational on Oct. 18. His placement earned him first team all-MAC honors, Buffalo's first honoree since Jeremie Slick was named in 2002.
Mitchell feels that many MAC teams underestimated Bloom and his fellow men.
"I don't think there was anybody else in our conference who expected that from us," Mitchell said. "This was just one more step on the ladder on his way up."
The rest of the women's team contributed to Buffalo's strong performance as well. Seniors Jessica Shultz and Alex Bykowska, as well as sophomores Ellen Muster and Jackie Bozich, ran their fastest 5K times of the year, which wasn't enough to defeat Ohio's Annie Beechman. Beechman set a MAC record, finishing the race in 16:56.80.
On the men's team, sophomores Chris Allen and Jacob Hagen, as well as junior Ryan Zillmann and freshman Dylan Conway, all finished in the top 50. The four paced within six places and 10 seconds of each other.
Eastern Michigan's Josh Karanja finished the race in 24:18.70, holding a slight advantage as he ran on his home course.
Overall, the men's team finished with 169 points, 127 points behind first place Eastern Michigan. The women finished with 177 points, 138 points behind Miami (OH).
Although the MAC Championships are over, the Bulls are not finished with their fall season. On Nov. 15, both teams will take part in the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship.
"The next week and a half of preparation is very important," Mitchell said. "Everything we do will become more critical; eating well, sleeping well and staying hydrated."
At the event in the Bronx, the women hope to finish in the top 15 while the men strive to finish in the top 20.
