Bulls Hang Tough in MAC Championship

The men's and women's cross country teams went into last Saturday's meet hoping to earn their first ever Mid-American Conference championship.

The Bulls had their best performances in recent memory even though they didn't achieve that goal.

The Buffalo men's team finished in third place, its highest finish ever. The women team's 10th place finish was a one spot improvement over last year's.

The men's 8K race was a tight one, as the Bulls finished just 23 points away from first place Eastern Michigan. The women's team wasn't as successful, but it finished just five points away from ninth place Kent State.

Senior John Inzina and sophomore Mike Pressler placed the highest for the team. Inzina finished with a time of 24:47 at eighth place – more than a minute off of his season's best time. Pressler finished just four spots behind him with a season-best 24:51.7. Both men earned spots on the All-MAC second team with their top-14 finishes.

Senior Dylan Conway just missed making the All-MAC second team with his 15th place finish, crossing the line at 24:56.9.

The women ran the meet without their two top runners, freshmen Gabby Leo and Lesley Bowers, due to injury. But the team remained competitive because of strong performances from junior Sam Beim, junior Jackie Cavalluzo, and sophomore Katie Sanders.

Sanders was Buffalo's top finisher on the women's 6K course. The sophomore finished at 48th place with a time of 22:46.1. Beim finished at 50th in 22:51.6, while Cavalluzo rounded off the top three finishers at 51st place with a time of 22:55.6.

Head coach Vicki Mitchell is happy with the final results, but she's still looking forward to the team's constant improvement. Her team is now looking to place high in the upcoming NCAA Northeast Regionals.

"The MAC is just one more step en route to the biggest meet of the year," Mitchell said. "So right now our plan is to get focused and to continue to strive for even better [results]."

The Bulls have the home advantage, as the meet will be held at the Audubon Golf Course in Amherst. Buffalo is ranked 13th in the Northeast Regional rankings and are looking to make a statement on its home turf.

"We're looking forward to showing off our area to the rest of the northeast region," Mitchell said. "It's [also] going to give us a nice opportunity to shine in front of some home support."

The NCAA Northeast Regionals will take place on Nov. 12. The men's meet will start at noon, while the women's race will start at 1:15 p.m.

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