Coming off its previous season of growth, Ohio’s Cross Country team started its 2016 campaign in the right direction.
During the team's first meet at the Rich Davis Flyer 5k in Dayton, the Bobcats went up against numerous other schools, including Dayton, Louisville, Ashland, Dennison, Wittenberg and Central State. Both the men's and women's teams earned spots in the top three rankings, scoring below 70 points.
The men’s team topped their opponents and earned first place with a score of 38 points, which led 2nd place Dayton and 3rd place Louisville. All five of the Bobcats scorers earned spots in the top 10.
Ohio’s top runner was Kyle Bussard who clocked 15:38.0, placing him fifth in the race, behind Louisville and Dayton runners Edwin Kibichiy, Calvin Chemoiywo, Chris Negri and Hunter Johnston.
After being sidelined for a large portion of last season with a hip injury, Michael McKean posted Ohio’s second best time (15:40.8). Brad Miller, Zach Zimmerman and Alex Wind were not far behind, as they all ran times under 15:50.
The women managed to place nearly just as high, finishing third and scoring 64 points, trailing behind second place Dayton and meet champion Louisville.
Ohio’s lead runner was Alyssa Atkinson, who finished fourth with a time of 18:30.1. She fell short to Dorcas Wasike, Taylor Vernot and Caroline Gosser of Louisville and Dayton, who received the top three spots.
Abby Miller, Madison Sury, and Josie Woosley, provided leverage running for Ohio, as the three finished with times of 19:13.3, 19:18.2 and 19:20.2, respectively.
The Bobcats must replicate productivity like this early in the season to gain the momentum needed to compete with difficult competition in the MAC and Great Lakes Regional championships.
Ohio is looking to continue its stride during its next meet Sept. 16 at the Virginia Tech Alumni Invite in Blacksburg, Virginia.
