Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, October 15
Terre Haute, Ind.
11 A.M.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Pre-National Invitational
Photo by: EMU Athletics/Chloe Smith
Women's Cross Country Turns in Solid Day at Pre-Nationals
10/15/2016 3:56:00 PM | Women's XC
The Eagles were once again able to defeat a ranked team in a tough field
Blue Race Results
Open Race Results
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – The No. 16 Eastern Michigan University women's cross country team wrapped up competition at the tough Pre-Nationals Invitational, today, Oct. 15, in Terre Haute, Ind. The Eagles, who finished seventh, had a solid day on the course, defeating another ranked team, in addition to a group of teams receiving votes in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Coaches' poll.
"I was pleased with our finish," remarked Head Coach Sue Parks. "We were 24th in this race last year, so it's great to make such a big jump. The team got out aggressively and battled hard throughout the race. It wasn't a perfect race for us, but the effort was there and I feel that we gained some valuable experience. The teams that finished in front of us were ranked ahead of us, and we were not that far from the top five."
The race featured a number of ranked teams, and the Eagles were able to once again down a ranked opponent. No. 22 Virginia fell to the Eagles, as the Cavaliers finished 18th overall. Additionally, Eastern also downed a number of teams receiving votes in the coaches' poll.
"I'm happy with where we are at right now, but I know that we can continue to improve as a team" explained Parks. "We're excited to get back to work these next two weeks and focus on getting ready for the MAC Championships and regionals."
Leading the charge for Eastern once again was junior Jordann McDermitt (Davison, Mich. – Davison), who has been having a fantastic season in her third year donning the Green and White. McDermitt clocked in at 20:32.0 to finish 18th in a tough field. Her mark was also a personal-best 6,000-meter time by about 10 seconds. The consistency continued behind her, as redshirt sophomore Natalie Cizmas (Clinton Twp., Mich. – Chippewa Valley) nabbed 32nd after crossing the finish line in 20:48.5.
Claiming the third spot for the Eagles was senior Alsu Bogdanova (Kazan, Russia – Lyceum #83), as the Russian native crossed the finish line in 43rd with a time of 20:56.1. Junior Jenna Wyns (Londerzeel, Belgium – Sportschol KA2) also had a solid race, posting a time of 21:08.4 to nab 68th. Wyns' time crushed her previous career-best 6,000-meter time by nearly an entire minute.
Sophomore Sydney Meyers (Zionsville, Ind. – Zionsville Community) rounded out the scoring five for EMU, as she took 94th after clocking in at 21:22.2, which bested her previous personal-best by 12 seconds. Finally, redshirt senior Sofie Gallein (Gits, Belgium – University of Leuven) and redshirt junior Anna Aldrich (Fremont, Ind. – Fremont) finished 181st and 231st, respectively.
The Eagles also participated in the open race, as redshirt sophomore Allie Knoll (Warren, Mich. – Warren Mott) paced the squad with a strong 21st place finish after clocking in at 22:41.7. Behind her, junior Lauren Pottschmidt (Granger, Ind. – Penn) nabbed 37th in 23:16.0.
Additionally, redshirt sophomore Rebekah Branham (Circleville, Ohio – Circleville) had a solid race, crossing the finish line in 23:32.3 to set a new career-best 6,000-meter time by nearly 1:30.
Eastern will close out their regular season next Friday, Oct. 21, with the annual EMU Fall Classic. The women will begin their race at 4:30 p.m., followed by the men at 5 p.m.
Open Race Results
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – The No. 16 Eastern Michigan University women's cross country team wrapped up competition at the tough Pre-Nationals Invitational, today, Oct. 15, in Terre Haute, Ind. The Eagles, who finished seventh, had a solid day on the course, defeating another ranked team, in addition to a group of teams receiving votes in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Coaches' poll.
"I was pleased with our finish," remarked Head Coach Sue Parks. "We were 24th in this race last year, so it's great to make such a big jump. The team got out aggressively and battled hard throughout the race. It wasn't a perfect race for us, but the effort was there and I feel that we gained some valuable experience. The teams that finished in front of us were ranked ahead of us, and we were not that far from the top five."
The race featured a number of ranked teams, and the Eagles were able to once again down a ranked opponent. No. 22 Virginia fell to the Eagles, as the Cavaliers finished 18th overall. Additionally, Eastern also downed a number of teams receiving votes in the coaches' poll.
"I'm happy with where we are at right now, but I know that we can continue to improve as a team" explained Parks. "We're excited to get back to work these next two weeks and focus on getting ready for the MAC Championships and regionals."
Leading the charge for Eastern once again was junior Jordann McDermitt (Davison, Mich. – Davison), who has been having a fantastic season in her third year donning the Green and White. McDermitt clocked in at 20:32.0 to finish 18th in a tough field. Her mark was also a personal-best 6,000-meter time by about 10 seconds. The consistency continued behind her, as redshirt sophomore Natalie Cizmas (Clinton Twp., Mich. – Chippewa Valley) nabbed 32nd after crossing the finish line in 20:48.5.
Claiming the third spot for the Eagles was senior Alsu Bogdanova (Kazan, Russia – Lyceum #83), as the Russian native crossed the finish line in 43rd with a time of 20:56.1. Junior Jenna Wyns (Londerzeel, Belgium – Sportschol KA2) also had a solid race, posting a time of 21:08.4 to nab 68th. Wyns' time crushed her previous career-best 6,000-meter time by nearly an entire minute.
Sophomore Sydney Meyers (Zionsville, Ind. – Zionsville Community) rounded out the scoring five for EMU, as she took 94th after clocking in at 21:22.2, which bested her previous personal-best by 12 seconds. Finally, redshirt senior Sofie Gallein (Gits, Belgium – University of Leuven) and redshirt junior Anna Aldrich (Fremont, Ind. – Fremont) finished 181st and 231st, respectively.
The Eagles also participated in the open race, as redshirt sophomore Allie Knoll (Warren, Mich. – Warren Mott) paced the squad with a strong 21st place finish after clocking in at 22:41.7. Behind her, junior Lauren Pottschmidt (Granger, Ind. – Penn) nabbed 37th in 23:16.0.
Additionally, redshirt sophomore Rebekah Branham (Circleville, Ohio – Circleville) had a solid race, crossing the finish line in 23:32.3 to set a new career-best 6,000-meter time by nearly 1:30.
Eastern will close out their regular season next Friday, Oct. 21, with the annual EMU Fall Classic. The women will begin their race at 4:30 p.m., followed by the men at 5 p.m.
Women's Blue Race Team Results
7. Eastern Michigan 255
Women's Blue Race Individual Results (6K)
18. Jordann McDermitt 20:32.0
32. Natalie Cizmas 20:48.5
43. Alsu Bogdanova 20:56.1
68. Jenna Wyns 21:08.4
94. Sydney Meyers 21:22.2
181. Sofie Gallein 22:01.4
231. Anna Aldrich 22:33.4
Women's Open Race Team Results
2. Eastern Michigan 66
Women's Open Race Individual Results (6K)
21. Allie Knoll 22:41.7
37. Lauren Pottschmidt 23:16.0
43. Danielle Bentzley 23:22.8
48. Rebekah Branham 23:32.3
56. Claire Mesa 23:46.9
Players Mentioned
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
/ Women's XC
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