On November 1, Central Michigan University’s Cross Country teams competed in the Mid-American Conference Championships held in Amherst, New York. The event featured two races, highlighting the individual and team performances of both the men’s and women’s squads.
Impressive Individual Performances
Leading the women’s team was freshman Kyah Hoffman, who secured a remarkable 12th place finish with a time of 21:06.9. This impressive performance elevated Hoffman to seventh position on the all-time list for women’s 6k finishes at Central Michigan, surpassing her previous personal best by nine seconds, which she had set at the Paul Short Classic on October 3.
For the men’s team, sophomore Miciah Smith finished 21st, completing the course in 25:02.4, demonstrating strong competitive spirit among the team’s underclassmen.
Team Results
Women’s Team Achievements
The women’s team finished fourth overall out of 13 competing teams, earning a total of 164 points. In addition to Hoffman’s performance, several other athletes recorded personal bests (PRs):
- Grace Vanderkooi – 36th place, 21:54.0
- Emma Janesak – 41st place, 22:01.9 (PR)
- Kate Jenkins – 43rd place, 22:05.1
- Eva Thompson – 44th place, 22:07.0 (PR)
Additional finishers included Maya Guikema (47th, 22:09.3), Jessie Gibbins (60th, 22:28.5), Kayla Williams (68th, 22:42.0), Olivia East (69th, 22:48.6), and Logan Brazee (87th, 23:11.9).
Men’s Team Performance
The men’s team claimed 7th place with a total score of 147 points, comfortably ahead of MAC newcomer Massachusetts by 19 points. The top performances included:
- Jason Fredricks – 27th place, 25:11.7
- Ethan Leitner – 29th place, 25:16.1
- Greg Janesak – 33rd place, 25:25.0
- Joey Taverna – 37th place, 25:29.2
Other runners included Clay Kuiper (54th, 26:12.7), Aiden Smith (65th, 26:31.7), Mason Lucas (72nd, 26:48.4, PR), Spencer Parker (81st, 27:14.2), and Hong Bing Tang (85th, 30:42.6).
Overall Championship Results
Toledo dominated both the men’s and women’s events, securing the team championships. They scored 59 points in the men’s race, with Joad Martinho finishing as the overall individual champion at 23:48.5. In the women’s race, Toledo scored an impressive 32 points, claiming three of the top five positions overall.
