ATHENS, OH - Sophomore Ari Fisher (Lebanon, OH) won the individual title and led the Rockets to a second-place finish at the 2009 MAC Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Ohio University.
Fisher joins Tuula Laitinen (2000) and Briana Shook (2001-02) as the third UT runner to win the individual title this decade. The team's runner-up finish was also the third for the Rockets this decade, who also took second in 2003 and 2005 after winning the championship in 2001 and 2002.
"Ari Fisher is someone I am incredibly proud of," said head coach Kevin Hadsell. "She ran away from the field and is an example of someone working very hard to make a huge jump. This is a woman that hadn't even run on our varsity until this year."
"I wanted to do something big this year but I never imagined I'd win the championship," Fisher said. "I still can't believe it."
Overall, the Rockets finished with 63 points, 19 behind team champion Miami, and the second-fewest in school-history in the 12-team field. Fisher crossed the line in 22:18.8 and was followed by senior Renata Volf (Krizevci, Croatia) in eighth place in a time of 22:37.7 and freshman Devyn Ramsay (Benzonia, MI) in ninth place in 22:52.8. Sophomore Lindsay Toussant (Minerva, OH) was the fourth UT runner to finish and placed 20th overall in 23:26.6 while junior Audra Brown (Ayersville, OH) finished 25th overall in 23:38.3.
"Miami ran their best race this year when it mattered," Hadsell said. "We ran well, but not great. The meet turned into a bit of a dual meet up front. We let their pack get away from us and that was the difference.
"We have to regroup for the NCAA Regionals in two weeks. I still think we have a shot at the NCAA's."
Fisher, Volf and Ramsay also earned All-MAC honors, tied for the most honorees the program has had in a season (Shook, Petra Teveli and current assistant coach Sara Vergote in 2001.) Additionally, Ramsay is just the third Rocket freshman to earn All-MAC honors, joining Laitinen (2000) and Christine Tye (2003). Overall, Toledo has had 16 runners named All-MAC in the last nine years.
Meanwhile, the men's team finished seventh at the championships, their best finish since a sixth-place showing in 2003. The Rockets finished with 181 points, their best tally in the 11 years that the championships have had a nine-team field, and were just one-point behind sixth-place Ohio.
Junior Elisha Kipchumba (Nairobi, Kenya) finished 26th overall with a time of 26:55.2, followed by junior Chris Wall (Centerville, OH) in 27:12.3 in 33rd. Sophomore Jonathan DeWitt (Akron, OH) placed 36th in 27:17.0 and freshman Elliot Livensparger (West Unity, OH) and sophomore Barnabas Kiprotich (Eldoret, Kenya) followed in 41st and 45th, respectively.
"I'm very proud of our guys, as they continue to improve year after year," Hadsell said.
The women will compete at the Toledo Rocket Open at 4:30 p.m. Friday at the Ottawa Park Golf Course. Indiana University hosts the Regionals on Nov. 14 in Bloomington, IN.
Contact: Scott Miles
scott.miles@utoledo.edu
