The Ohio cross-country team's most important stretch of the season begins Saturday with the Mid-American Conference Championships in Kalamazoo, Mich.
Although there's no question regarding the Bobcats' status as a much-improved team compared to years past, it is equally certain that the rest of the MAC is fielding better teams as well.
The conference has come a long way
head coach Clay Calkins said. We're sitting pretty well and we have a lot of ranked teams.
For the men, the MAC has three teams ranked in the top 15 in the Great Lakes Region of the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll.
Eastern Michigan ranks No. 8, while Kent State and Ohio are next to each other at 14th and 15th, respectively.
On the women's side, the conference is even stronger. Toledo is ranked No. 3, leading the way for Miami (fifth), Central Michigan (seventh) and Ohio (10th).
Cross-country is unlike most sports, in which an overmatched team can pull off an upset through blind luck or perfect
preparation.
If five people on a team are faster and better on that day then they're going to win
Calkins said with a laugh. There are no tricks. It's probably one of the most honest sports there are as far as heads-up
competition.
There are, however, no guarantees. It might be rare to see a team overachieve, but it's not uncommon for a team to
underachieve.
It all comes down to the conditioning of the athletes
Calkins said. Right now
conditioning-wise
Miami is in a dominating position coming into the MAC Championships.
Calkins said this in regards to the Miami women, who are anchored by an experienced team that has won back-to-back MAC titles.
The last women's team to do that was Ohio, which achieved the feat in 2006 and 2007.
Annie Beecham, Kari Summers and Abigail Swift were young runners then and played a roll in that success, and they are now in their final year at Ohio University.
This season, they have provided veteran experience for the handful of freshmen who have had an impact in 2010. The mix of youth and maturity might be perfect for the Bobcats Saturday.
Given a top team performance, the seniors could graduate as champions, ushered out by a new class of athletes determined to uphold the legacy that came before them.
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Sports
Mark Emery
