Eastern Michigan Athletics
Men's Cross Country Season Recap
12/16/2016 11:19:00 AM | Men's XC
The Eagles had another strong cross country season in 2016
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University men's cross country team wrapped up another historic season this past fall. The Eagles, who capped off a strong year with an incredible performance at the Mid-American Conference Championships, added to the already tradition-laden record books at EMU. Take a look back at 2016, and a brief recap of each of the team's 2016 races.
Eastern began with the Green and White sending some of the younger harriers to the Detroit Titan Invitational, Sept. 10, where the squad finished the four-mile race in second with 83 points. Redshirt freshman Austin Sargent (Cedar Spring, Mich. - Cedar Spring) paced the team with a 12th-place finish in 21:25.8, while sophomore David Saporito (Warren, Mich. - Warren Mott) was six spots behind in 18th with a time of 21:35.5. Rounding out the top-three Eagle finishers was fellow sophomore Morgan O'Flahrity (Madison, Wis. – Edgewood), who ran to a 20th-place finish in 21:37.1.
The veterans made their debut next week, heading to East Lansing for the Spartan Invitational, Sept. 16. There, EMU once again finished second, totaling 42 points in the 8,000-meter race. Redshirt junior team captain Hlynur Andresson (Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland – Mountain Ridge) had a fantastic season-opening race, clocking in at 25:00 to finish fourth out of more than 400 runners. Also turning in a top-10 performance was junior Lahsene Bouchikhi (Antwerp, Belgium - Stedelijk Lyceum Paardenmarkt Luchthaven), who crossed the finish line in 25:11 to take eighth. Two more Eagles finished the race with times under 26 minutes, as redshirt junior Abel Flores (Defiance, Ohio – Defiance) and senior John Knox (Gloversville, N.Y. – Gloversville) clocked in at 25:23 and 25:49, respectively. For his performance, Andresson was named Mid-American Conference Runner of the Week for the first time in his career.
After a weekend free of competition, the Green and White took part in the prestigious Notre Dame Invitational, Sept. 30. The Eagles, who finished 12th overall, beat No. 30 Texas and No. 30 Florida State, in addition to Texas A&M, who was receiving votes in the national poll. Despite having four runners involved in a fall that put them in last place within the opening 300 meters, Eastern still managed to turn in some solid performances. Senior Nick Raymond (Erie, Mich. - Mason) was the team's top finisher in his season debut, taking 15th with a time of 24:01.9. Behind Raymond, Andresson and Bouchikhi finished 26th and 74th with times of 24:11.5 and 24:42.5, respectively. This time around, Raymond was named MAC Runner of the Week, marking the third time in his career that he had received the honor.
The trend continued the following week, as EMU had another weekend off. From there, the Eagles attended the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, Oct. 14, squaring off with some of the top teams from around the country. The championship race saw the Green and White bring home 17th place with a total of 421 points. Like their previous meet, Eastern defeated a number of ranked teams, including No. 15 Eastern Kentucky, No. 22 Michigan State, No. 24 Providence, No. 25 Penn, and No. 29 Illinois. Raymond was the team's top finisher once again, taking 54th in 24:38.3. Bouchikhi was 10 spots behind, nabbing 64th with a time of 24:46.3, while Andresson took 75th in 24:51.4. As was the case following the previous meet, Raymond earned MAC Runner of the Week honors, putting the team's season total at three through this point.
The regular season came to a close the following weekend with the annual EMU Fall Classic, held Oct. 21 in Dexter, Mich. Like the season-opening race, Eastern utilized the opportunity to give some of the younger harriers an opportunity to gain experience. Redshirt freshamn Colin Burdette (Hilliard, Ohio - HIlliard Davidson) was the team's top finisher, nabbing 25th with a time of 16:07.9. O'Flahrity took 30th in 16:14.3, while junior Nick McFarland (Hillsborough, N.J. - Hillsborough) took 33rd. Burdette, for the first time, was named MAC Runner of the Week following the race.
The postseason then began with the MAC Championships, held Oct. 29 in Kent, Ohio. The Eagles dominated the race from start to finish, claiming their seventh consecutive conference title with a MAC record 15 points. Despite already having a history of tradition and success at the MAC Championships, this race was arguably one of the best in program laurels. The previous record for fewest points in a field of nine teams was 23, which was achieved by the Eagles in 2006 and 2014. This marked an improvement of eight points, as the team took home the top-five spots. As the race features five scored runners, the team simply could not have done any better when it comes to placing, and posted the conference's best point total in conference meet history.
With the victory, EMU claimed its 21st MAC title in program history, the most in the conference. With their seventh straight championship, the Eagles have now won 11 of the past 12 overall MAC meets. Head Coach John Goodridge also won the 12th of his career, furthering himself as the winningest coach in conference history, while the earning MAC Coach of the Year honors for the 11th time.
Individually, Raymond was crowned the MAC Champion for the second consecutive season, becoming the first to accomplish the feat since Gavin Thompson in 2002 and 2003. Raymond crossed the finish line in 25:10.0, while four other EMU harriers were narrowly behind him. Andresson ended up taking home the silver with a time of 25:10.1, junior Csaba Matko (Racalmas, Hungary - Szechenyi Istvan Gimnazium) claimed the third-spot after posting a time of 25:10.3, and Flores posted a time of 25:10.4 to take fourth. Rounding out the top-five for the Eagles was Bouchikhi, who crossed finish line in 25:11.2 to complete the sweep, and secure a whopping team total of just 15 points. In addition to Goodridge being named MAC Coach of the Year, EMU saw Raymond, Andresson, Matko, Flores, and Bouchikhi earn First Team All-MAC honors.
Eastern rode the momentum heading into the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, Nov. 11 in Madison, Wis. The Eagles finished fourth as a team with 99 points, marking an improvement of three points over last year. Eastern held strong throughout the entire 10,000-meter race, competing against a number of tough, ranked teams. The Green and White had harriers in the top-30 throughout the entire race, as the squad finished with all five scoring runners finishing 27th or better, including one in the top-five. Despite finishing fourth in comparison to third last year, the team's performance, in fact, improved by three points, as a number of Eagles posted personal-best times.
Raymond was ultimately able to hold onto fifth, as he crossed the finish line in 30:25.2, which was a career-best mark by nearly 15 seconds. Andresson also finished strong, securing 16th-place with a time of 30:44.0, which bested his previous career-best time by about eight seconds. From there, Flores ran to a 25th-place finish, clocking in at 31:07.4, which blew his previous personal-best out of the water by nearly two and a half minutes.
Bouchikhi finished closely behind him, nabbing 26th in 31:10.9, which set a career-best by three seconds. Rounding out the top-five scorers for EMU was redshirt junior Mitch Lenneman (River Falls, Wis. – River Falls), as the Wisconsin native took home 27th after crossing the finish line in 31:11.9, setting a new personal-best by almost a minute. Based on its performances, the Green and White had three runners secure all-region honors. Raymond and Andresson earned the award for the second consecutive season, while Flores picked up the first of his career.
Despite not being selected as an at-large team for the NCAA Championships, Nov. 19, Raymond qualified as an individual for the second consecutive year. The Erie, Mich. native continually moved up in the pack as the race progressed, ultimately finishing 31st with a time of 30:18.9. Based on his top-40 finish, Raymond was named an All-American, becoming the 15th Eagle in program history to earn the honor, and the first since Corey Nowitzke in 2006.
Although the team will certainly miss the services of Raymond, a number of strong contributors remain, and the Green and White look primed for yet another excellent season next year.
Eastern began with the Green and White sending some of the younger harriers to the Detroit Titan Invitational, Sept. 10, where the squad finished the four-mile race in second with 83 points. Redshirt freshman Austin Sargent (Cedar Spring, Mich. - Cedar Spring) paced the team with a 12th-place finish in 21:25.8, while sophomore David Saporito (Warren, Mich. - Warren Mott) was six spots behind in 18th with a time of 21:35.5. Rounding out the top-three Eagle finishers was fellow sophomore Morgan O'Flahrity (Madison, Wis. – Edgewood), who ran to a 20th-place finish in 21:37.1.
The veterans made their debut next week, heading to East Lansing for the Spartan Invitational, Sept. 16. There, EMU once again finished second, totaling 42 points in the 8,000-meter race. Redshirt junior team captain Hlynur Andresson (Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland – Mountain Ridge) had a fantastic season-opening race, clocking in at 25:00 to finish fourth out of more than 400 runners. Also turning in a top-10 performance was junior Lahsene Bouchikhi (Antwerp, Belgium - Stedelijk Lyceum Paardenmarkt Luchthaven), who crossed the finish line in 25:11 to take eighth. Two more Eagles finished the race with times under 26 minutes, as redshirt junior Abel Flores (Defiance, Ohio – Defiance) and senior John Knox (Gloversville, N.Y. – Gloversville) clocked in at 25:23 and 25:49, respectively. For his performance, Andresson was named Mid-American Conference Runner of the Week for the first time in his career.
After a weekend free of competition, the Green and White took part in the prestigious Notre Dame Invitational, Sept. 30. The Eagles, who finished 12th overall, beat No. 30 Texas and No. 30 Florida State, in addition to Texas A&M, who was receiving votes in the national poll. Despite having four runners involved in a fall that put them in last place within the opening 300 meters, Eastern still managed to turn in some solid performances. Senior Nick Raymond (Erie, Mich. - Mason) was the team's top finisher in his season debut, taking 15th with a time of 24:01.9. Behind Raymond, Andresson and Bouchikhi finished 26th and 74th with times of 24:11.5 and 24:42.5, respectively. This time around, Raymond was named MAC Runner of the Week, marking the third time in his career that he had received the honor.
The trend continued the following week, as EMU had another weekend off. From there, the Eagles attended the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, Oct. 14, squaring off with some of the top teams from around the country. The championship race saw the Green and White bring home 17th place with a total of 421 points. Like their previous meet, Eastern defeated a number of ranked teams, including No. 15 Eastern Kentucky, No. 22 Michigan State, No. 24 Providence, No. 25 Penn, and No. 29 Illinois. Raymond was the team's top finisher once again, taking 54th in 24:38.3. Bouchikhi was 10 spots behind, nabbing 64th with a time of 24:46.3, while Andresson took 75th in 24:51.4. As was the case following the previous meet, Raymond earned MAC Runner of the Week honors, putting the team's season total at three through this point.
The regular season came to a close the following weekend with the annual EMU Fall Classic, held Oct. 21 in Dexter, Mich. Like the season-opening race, Eastern utilized the opportunity to give some of the younger harriers an opportunity to gain experience. Redshirt freshamn Colin Burdette (Hilliard, Ohio - HIlliard Davidson) was the team's top finisher, nabbing 25th with a time of 16:07.9. O'Flahrity took 30th in 16:14.3, while junior Nick McFarland (Hillsborough, N.J. - Hillsborough) took 33rd. Burdette, for the first time, was named MAC Runner of the Week following the race.
The postseason then began with the MAC Championships, held Oct. 29 in Kent, Ohio. The Eagles dominated the race from start to finish, claiming their seventh consecutive conference title with a MAC record 15 points. Despite already having a history of tradition and success at the MAC Championships, this race was arguably one of the best in program laurels. The previous record for fewest points in a field of nine teams was 23, which was achieved by the Eagles in 2006 and 2014. This marked an improvement of eight points, as the team took home the top-five spots. As the race features five scored runners, the team simply could not have done any better when it comes to placing, and posted the conference's best point total in conference meet history.
With the victory, EMU claimed its 21st MAC title in program history, the most in the conference. With their seventh straight championship, the Eagles have now won 11 of the past 12 overall MAC meets. Head Coach John Goodridge also won the 12th of his career, furthering himself as the winningest coach in conference history, while the earning MAC Coach of the Year honors for the 11th time.
Individually, Raymond was crowned the MAC Champion for the second consecutive season, becoming the first to accomplish the feat since Gavin Thompson in 2002 and 2003. Raymond crossed the finish line in 25:10.0, while four other EMU harriers were narrowly behind him. Andresson ended up taking home the silver with a time of 25:10.1, junior Csaba Matko (Racalmas, Hungary - Szechenyi Istvan Gimnazium) claimed the third-spot after posting a time of 25:10.3, and Flores posted a time of 25:10.4 to take fourth. Rounding out the top-five for the Eagles was Bouchikhi, who crossed finish line in 25:11.2 to complete the sweep, and secure a whopping team total of just 15 points. In addition to Goodridge being named MAC Coach of the Year, EMU saw Raymond, Andresson, Matko, Flores, and Bouchikhi earn First Team All-MAC honors.
Eastern rode the momentum heading into the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, Nov. 11 in Madison, Wis. The Eagles finished fourth as a team with 99 points, marking an improvement of three points over last year. Eastern held strong throughout the entire 10,000-meter race, competing against a number of tough, ranked teams. The Green and White had harriers in the top-30 throughout the entire race, as the squad finished with all five scoring runners finishing 27th or better, including one in the top-five. Despite finishing fourth in comparison to third last year, the team's performance, in fact, improved by three points, as a number of Eagles posted personal-best times.
Raymond was ultimately able to hold onto fifth, as he crossed the finish line in 30:25.2, which was a career-best mark by nearly 15 seconds. Andresson also finished strong, securing 16th-place with a time of 30:44.0, which bested his previous career-best time by about eight seconds. From there, Flores ran to a 25th-place finish, clocking in at 31:07.4, which blew his previous personal-best out of the water by nearly two and a half minutes.
Bouchikhi finished closely behind him, nabbing 26th in 31:10.9, which set a career-best by three seconds. Rounding out the top-five scorers for EMU was redshirt junior Mitch Lenneman (River Falls, Wis. – River Falls), as the Wisconsin native took home 27th after crossing the finish line in 31:11.9, setting a new personal-best by almost a minute. Based on its performances, the Green and White had three runners secure all-region honors. Raymond and Andresson earned the award for the second consecutive season, while Flores picked up the first of his career.
Despite not being selected as an at-large team for the NCAA Championships, Nov. 19, Raymond qualified as an individual for the second consecutive year. The Erie, Mich. native continually moved up in the pack as the race progressed, ultimately finishing 31st with a time of 30:18.9. Based on his top-40 finish, Raymond was named an All-American, becoming the 15th Eagle in program history to earn the honor, and the first since Corey Nowitzke in 2006.
Although the team will certainly miss the services of Raymond, a number of strong contributors remain, and the Green and White look primed for yet another excellent season next year.
Players Mentioned
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