ATHENS, Ohio - It was the goal from day one of practice. The Kent State men’s cross country were selected by the coaches in the Mid-American Conference to win the 2009 title in the preseason. But as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words.
On Saturday (Oct. 31) at the MAC Championships, the team came across loud and clear.
The Golden Flashes men’s cross country team dominated the field at the conference championships en route to their first title in school history, 25 points ahead of runner-up Eastern Michigan. Senior Aiman Scullion also delivered Kent State’s fifth individual title in 25:32.7 seconds, nine seconds faster than his nearest competitor.
"I thought we got out really well," said the 2009 MAC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year Mark Croghan. "We were where we wanted to be a mile and two miles into the race. With the tough conditions, we just went out and ran our race. About three mile-mark we started to pull away with Scullion leading the way and Hilditch right up there. Scullion broke away and won but a good job by Scott Hilditch, Tony Jordanek and even Michael Heller had a nice race, finishing in the top 10.
"At the fourth mile, it looked pretty good and everyone did a good job of finishing. It was a great performance, top to bottom," added Croghan.
On the women’s side, junior Alex Lizarribar (22:30.8) finished second for the third time in four races this season. The women’s team took fifth overall with Miami claiming the individual title. In her first season, Lizarribar claimed First Team All-MAC honors.
Before the race, we talked about the importance of being aggressive to get in a good position. Certainly you had Alex doing a great job to get in that position," said Croghan.
Junior Scott Hilditch finished third in 25:48.6 while fifth-year senior Tony Jordanek rounded out the top five, finishing in 26:03.4
While the upper classman took the top places for Kent State, the future also looks bright for the Golden Flashes. Redshirt freshman Michael Heller was the fourth-best finisher for KSU and eighth overall, completing the course in 26:11.1. Junior Joe Purpura took 13th overall in 26:26.0.
Finishing within the top seven, Scullion, Hilditch and Jordanek all claimed First Team All-MAC honors. Heller and Purpura both claimed Second Team All-MAC selections.
Junior John Minen came in 19th, completing the course in 26:37.9
Freshman Ecaterina Gheorghiu finished 19th in 23:20.5 while senior Kelly Gephart and junior Allison Krupko finished 39th and 40th, respectively.
"Congratulations to Mark Croghan and the entire cross country team on a job well done and special congratulations to Aiman Scullion for winning the individual title," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Bill Lawson. "It is a great day for Kent State athletics and especially our program in men’s cross country. It was a lot of work over the last three years by coach Croghan and all those young men to be able to do what they did today. I think this sets us up for really good things this season.
"First and foremost, thanks to the administration for all their support. Thanks to Jen Kulics, who is our supervisor for cross country and to coach Croghan and assistant Dan Klatt helping the team all year."
The Kent State Cross Country teams return to action Saturday, Nov. 14 when they travel to Bloomington, Ind. for the Great Lakes Region Meet.
Award Winners
Men's First Team:
Aiman Scullion, Kent State
Riak Mabil, Central Michigan
Scott Hilditch, Kent State
Curtis Vollmar, Eastern Michigan
Tony Jordanek, Kent State
Joe McCoy, Akron
Sammy Kiprotich, Central Michigan
Men's Second Team:
Michael Heller, Kent State
James Hughes, Eastern Michigan
Mathew Lutzke, Central Michigan
Michael Perry, Miami
Joe Purpura, Kent State
Dennis Pollow, Buffalo
R.P. White, Eastern Michigan
Men's Coach of the Year: Mark Croghan, Kent State
Women's First Team:
Ari Fisher, Toledo
Alex Lizarribar, Kent State
Amanda Mirochna, Miami
Alison Bishel, Ball State
Laura Neufarth, Miami
Courtney Calka, Eastern Michigan
Melissa Darling, Central Michigan
Women’s Second Team:
Renata Volf, Toledo
Devyn Ramsay, Toledo
Larisa Arcip, Akron
Kelsey McHugh, Miami
Rachel Patterson, Miami
Katie Lenahan, Miami
Maggie Bingham, Miami
Women's Coach of the Year: Kelly Phillips, Miami
