The No. 25 ranked Eastern Michigan men’s cross country team had a strong showing on Friday, November 11, at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional in Madison, Wis. The Eagles finished fourth overall, with 99 points.
Eastern Michigan sent out seven runners in the 10,000-meter race, and had five runners finish in the top 30. Of those who finished in the top 30, the Eagles’ Nick Raymond set the tone, finishing fifth overall with a time of 30:25.2. Following Raymond was junior Hlynur Andresson, who finished 16th overall with a time of 30:44.0, junior Abel Flores who finished 26th overall with a time of 31:07.4, junior Lahsene Bouchikhi, who finished 27th overall with a time of 31:10.9, and junior Mitch Lennerman, who finished with a time of 31:11.9. The remaining runners, junior Csaba Matko and John Knox finished 43rd and 56th, respectively, with a times of 31:38.4 and 31:51.8.
Nick Raymond and Hlynur Andresson earned all-region honors for the second consecutive season, while Abel Flores also brought home the award as well. Raymond earned an individual trip to the NCAA Championship, as he finished as a top-four runner in the region.
The Eagles trailed only Wisconsin (51pts), Michigan State (81pts), and Indiana (81pts) and ended up finished ahead of the University of Michigan, whom had 107 points. The Eagles failed to finish in the top two, meaning an appearance to the NCAA Championship may be in jeopardy.
The team gave a very good competitive effort," remarked Head Coach John Goodridge. "I am very proud of them. We will just have to wait and see how the at-large selections go."
Should Eastern Michigan get invited to the NCAA Championship on Saturday, November 19 in Terre Haute, Indiana, it would be the team’s first appearance since 2005.