November 2, 2005

Zips Kick to MAC Championship

Strong finishes propelled the Akron women to their second MAC cross country championship ever. Leading the way, as she has done all season, was Beata Rudzinska, who joined Michelle Rizzo as Akron's only MAC individual champions in cross country. Rudzinska covered the 5km course in 17:24. Morgan Sulzener (5th, 17:50) and Brandi Schoeppner (6th, 17:51) were also named First Team All MAC. Adriana Zalucka (11th, 18:12) earned Second Team All MAC honors. Rachel Zubricky (18th, 18:24) completed the team scoring. Akron's 41 points is an all-time low for the MAC conference meet with 12 or more schools.

At the mile mark the Zips tallied 115 points, but that total had dropped to 62 points by the 2-mile mark. At 4km that figure had further declined to 55 points. A strong finish over the last 1km pushed the total down to the final figure of 41 points. "I'm very proud of what this team accomplished," said coach Scott Jones. "They raced with the poise and savviness that I expect from a veteran group. Winning a MAC championship is memorable because it is what each school in the conference is trying to do. We have great respect for out peers in the MAC and we value our accomplishment so highly because of the challenges they present."

MAC Results
Team | Individual

MAC Champions!