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Oct. 30, 2008
OXFORD, Ohio -- At the start of the 2008 cross country season, the Miami University women's team was picked third by the league's coaches. But nearly three months later, the RedHawks may just be the ones to beat at the Mid-American Conference Championship. The women's event begins at noon Saturday in Ypsilanti, Mich.
Miami, under first-year head coach Rita Arndt-Molis, is the highest ranked league team in the latest Great Lakes Regional poll. The RedHawks are sixth behind Big Ten schools Michigan State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana, plus Notre Dame. MAC schools Bowling Green, Akron and Ohio stand seventh through ninth, respectively.
"I think we have a really legitimate shot at the team title this year", Arndt-Molis said. "It has been nice the last few weeks that we have been spot-on with our workouts. Every indicator shows a very competitive level of fitness. I think the team is racing well and is dialed-in mentally. I think it will be a really fun day. This week has dragged by waiting for the championships."
Miami will be at full strength for the meet with the return of Laura Neufarth to the lineup. The junior from Centerville missed the Pre-Nationals meet two weeks ago with a couple of nagging injuries. She is the defending MAC individual champion and has been the RedHawks' top runner all year, winning the Dayton 5K in August and finishing fourth at Michigan State's Spartan Invitational. Sophomore Kelsey McHugh (Columbus) ran a personal-best time of 21:23.2 enroute to a 58th-place finish at Pre-Nationals and has been among the top three RedHawk runners in all four meets this season. Also in that group is junior Amanda Mirochna (Naperville, Ill.), who was ninth in Dayton and 14th at Michigan State.
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But the intent of this group is to win a team championship, something that has never happened.
"More than individual focus, every woman on the team is focused on the outcome as it relates to the team," Arndt-Molis said. "At this point in the season, I feel like we have the skills, fitness, integrity and courage to make good decisions in their race plans and execution. If we make good decisions, I feel we can have a really good day."
Complete results will be available on MURedHawks.com on Saturday afternoon.
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