Great Midwest Men's Cross Country Championships Page
Great Midwest Women's Cross Country Championships Page
CANTON, OH – As the leaves turn color and temperatures drop, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships are coming to GlenOak High School on Saturday as all 14 schools prepare for competition.
This year’s event is hosted by Walsh University with the 6K women’s race starting at 11 a.m. ET and the 8K men’s race getting underway at noon ET.
Judging by the conference performance chart this season, it still seems a little odd that names like Daniel Michalski (Cedarville), Hannah McIntyre (Hillsdale), Sarah Berger (Walsh) and Hannah Thompson (Malone – redshirt), are no longer in the mix.
The league has embraced some new talent and top times while still maintaining respectability in the national rankings.
There are a number of both male and female runners to monitor going into the weekend. On the men’s side, junior Joseph Humes of Hillsdale has had yet another stellar season for the Chargers.
The current record holder for both 8k and 5k distances has already racked up three athlete of the week selections this year, and he could bring in some more hardware as Hillsdale looks to have a strong showing this weekend.
The Cavaliers’ men are aiming to repeat after winning last year’s conference championship down in a warmer climate in Nashville. The pressure will be on as the host institution to perform, but the comfort zone for runners like Jacob Kernell, Mark Hadley, Jacob Caniford, Spencer Wirick, Noah Murray and co., will be a natural fit.
On the women’s side, the Walsh Cavaliers will look to defend their home turf as many of their runners will be running a very familiar course. Brianna Coy (a GlenOak HS grad) and Andra Lehotay have already had strong seasons for Walsh and are two big reasons the conference championship trophy could exchange hands this year.
Of course, Hillsdale holds that current distinction until proven otherwise and some talent with the likes of Maryssa Depies, Arena Lewis and Christina Sawyer, among others gaining NCAA Championship last year has Hillsdale ready to roll.
On the men’s side, Cedarville and Malone are neck-and-neck in the USTFCCA polls at 17th and 18th, respectively. Just one spot behind them is Walsh with the 20th spot, so the competition this weekend will be fierce with such evenly matched teams.
The women’s rankings mirror the men’s poll with some more very tight placements. Both Walsh and Hillsdale appear in the most recent rankings, with the Chargers coming in tied for 15th and the Cavaliers coming in at the 17th spot.
After the conference championships, most of the Great Midwest teams will compete in the NCAA Midwest Regional hosted by Hillsdale College on Saturday, November 17, in a bid to qualify for the national championship race, both as teams or individuals.