Oct. 30, 2009

OXFORD, Ohio - A year after winning the first Mid-American Conference title in program history, the Miami University women’s cross country team is ready to defend its 2008 crown Saturday when the RedHawks run at the 2009 MAC Championship, hosted by Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. The 6K women’s race gets under way at noon, after the men run at 11 a.m., and will take place on the Ohio University Golf Course along the banks of the Hocking River.

Miami ran away with last year’s crown en route to the first league title in school history, defeating second-place Akron by 42 points. Four RedHawks placed in the top 10 a year ago with their fifth scorer finishing 13th as the ’Hawks return their top six scorers from 2008. Junior Rachel Patterson (Rochester, Mich.) led Miami last year taking third, but will miss the race as she has sat out all of 2009 with an injury. Senior Amanda Mirochna (Naperville, Ill.) crossed in sixth last year while fellow senior Laura Neufarth (Centerville, Ohio), who won the 2007 MAC individual title, claimed eighth.

“Having pretty much the entire team back, it puts us in a really good position to have another great conference meet,” head coach Kelly Phillips said. “The girls are excited about it and they want to come back and repeat. There are also some other great teams in the conference though, so it’s not going to be easy. We’re going to have to go in there and work hard at it. It’s certainly not going to be given to us.”

The Red & White last competed Oct. 17 at Pre-Nationals in Terre Haute, Ind. when Miami nabbed 20th place in the 37-team field that featured seven nationally ranked teams. The RedHawks were the second MAC team to finish, placing four spots behind Toledo. Mirochna led Miami for the second time this season crossing in 73rd place.

Miami was picked to repeat as MAC champions in the coaches preseason poll released in late August while Akron was tabbed second and host Ohio third. In this week’s U.S Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association Great Lakes Region poll, four MAC schools are ranked, led by Toledo, who was fourth in the MAC preseason poll, in sixth. The RedHawks are 10th in the regional poll, followed by Akron in 11th and Central Michigan in 15th.

Following the MAC Championship, the RedHawks will compete at the Great Lakes Regional in Bloomington, Ind. on Saturday, Nov. 14, when Miami will look to qualify for the NCAA Championship.

--MURedHawks.com--

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