A true rivalry is brewing between two Mid-American Conference cross-country powerhouses.
Over the course of the season, the Buffalo and Akron cross-country teams have been running step-for-step and their rivalry reached a new level this past Saturday at the UB Stampede Invitational.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, the day belonged to Akron.
Buffalo was unable to top the Zips' 58-point first place finish, finishing just behind their conference foe with 59 points.
'Akron has a really strong team,' said head coach Vicki Mitchell. 'We were really excited that they came out to run with us this year. Having a conference team running against you early on in the season helps you gauge where you stand in terms of [the] ultimate goal:
the conference championship.'
Sophomore Jacob Hagen led the Bulls, finishing fourth in the men's 8K race with a time of 25:59. Sophomore Ryan Bloom placed 10th with a time of 26:19, while freshmen Dylan Conway finished close behind in 11th at 26:20.
Seniors Mike Gillis and Ryan Zillman, who both finished the race in 26:33, also placed in the top 20. Their times were good enough for 16th and 18th place.
Although Buffalo ran well, the Zips gave them all they could handle. Akron's Joe McCoy finished the 8K race with a time of 25:29, a new course record.
McCoy's finish impressed not only Akron fans, but Mitchell as well.
'So far this season, Joe [McCoy] has ran very, very strong,' Mitchell said. 'He has come a long way from last season. He has consistently improved through the indoor and outdoor seasons and we definitely want to give him props for running the great race he ran.'
Despite the one-point loss to a conference rival, Mitchell believes the race might be a blessing in disguise.
'I'm kind of glad we didn't win because our team remains a little hungry now,' Mitchell said. 'It lets our guys know that we're capable of beating Akron. Hopefully we'll beat them when it really counts at the end of October in the conference championships.'
The women's cross country team also found success at the invitational with a third place finish in the 5K race. The team's 88 points placed them behind Cornell, which finished first with 20 points, and Akron, which tallied 44 points.
Newcomers impressed for Buffalo and were led by freshman Jackie Cavalluzzo, who finished in 18th place with a time of 19:15. Freshman Katie Sanders finished 20th in 19:19, and freshman Leah Wightman finished 30th in 19:57. Sophomore Ellen Muster placed 25th with a time of 19:38.
The men and women will be back in action at the highly competitive Lehigh Paul Short Invitational on Friday, Oct. 2. Races are slated to begin at 11 a.m.
'It's a very highly competitive field,' Mitchell said. 'It's great for our kids to be involved in such a great competition just four weeks before our conference championships. We're excited to race there.'
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