Saturday, November 21
Bowling Green, OH
2 pm
vs
MAC Championships
Bulls Cap Off Fall At MAC Championships
11/21/2020 6:33:00 PM | Cross Country
BOWLING GREEN, OH - The University at Buffalo cross country team took part in the first conference championship of the 2020-21 season on Saturday as both the men's and women's programs headed to Bowling Green for this year's race.
For the second straight season the UB men claimed a bronze medal as they finished in third place, tying their best finish in school history. The Bulls finished with 94 points, paced by junior Scott Loforte, who finished in 11th place at 24:34.2. Sophomore Armani Merlino finished in 14th place at 24:49.2 as him and Loforte earned second-team All-MAC honors.
Junior Cal Puskar finished 21st (25:10.4), while senior Thomas Flannery finished right behind him in 22nd (25:11.6). Also finishing in the top 30 for the Bulls were Benjamin Cardamone at 26th, Christopher Nowak at 28th and Ryan Buzby at 30th.
"We came in with very high expectations," said associate head coach Todd Witzleben. "Our team ran strong but Eastern and Miami were great today. We're already looking forward to getting back to serious training and our plan to contend for the MAC Championship next year."
Eastern Michigan claimed the men's crown with 39 points, while Miami (OH) finished second at 63 points.
"We had a strong and experienced team competing today against great competition from EMU and Miami," said Director of Track and Field & Cross Country Vicki Mitchell. "We have shown we are competitive with the best, and had a few breakthrough performances with Scott Loforte and Armani Merlino, who both earned All-MAC honors. It was great to see the consistency in this group."
On the women's side, the Bulls had just five females compete in the race, led by junior Riley Jones who finished in 48th place at 22:41. 8. She was one of only two Bulls who had ever run in a collegiate race before today's championship joining Lilly Meek. Meghana Caron, Allison Cline, and Elizabeth Powers all raced in a UB uniform for the first time.
"For the women we had two veterans that didn't have great days and three freshmen that ran their first ever collegiate race and the MAC Championships are a tall order for your debut race," Mitchell concluded.
Northern Illinois won the women's race at 84 points followed by Toledo and Bowling Green.
For the second straight season the UB men claimed a bronze medal as they finished in third place, tying their best finish in school history. The Bulls finished with 94 points, paced by junior Scott Loforte, who finished in 11th place at 24:34.2. Sophomore Armani Merlino finished in 14th place at 24:49.2 as him and Loforte earned second-team All-MAC honors.
Junior Cal Puskar finished 21st (25:10.4), while senior Thomas Flannery finished right behind him in 22nd (25:11.6). Also finishing in the top 30 for the Bulls were Benjamin Cardamone at 26th, Christopher Nowak at 28th and Ryan Buzby at 30th.
"We came in with very high expectations," said associate head coach Todd Witzleben. "Our team ran strong but Eastern and Miami were great today. We're already looking forward to getting back to serious training and our plan to contend for the MAC Championship next year."
Eastern Michigan claimed the men's crown with 39 points, while Miami (OH) finished second at 63 points.
"We had a strong and experienced team competing today against great competition from EMU and Miami," said Director of Track and Field & Cross Country Vicki Mitchell. "We have shown we are competitive with the best, and had a few breakthrough performances with Scott Loforte and Armani Merlino, who both earned All-MAC honors. It was great to see the consistency in this group."
On the women's side, the Bulls had just five females compete in the race, led by junior Riley Jones who finished in 48th place at 22:41. 8. She was one of only two Bulls who had ever run in a collegiate race before today's championship joining Lilly Meek. Meghana Caron, Allison Cline, and Elizabeth Powers all raced in a UB uniform for the first time.
"For the women we had two veterans that didn't have great days and three freshmen that ran their first ever collegiate race and the MAC Championships are a tall order for your debut race," Mitchell concluded.
Northern Illinois won the women's race at 84 points followed by Toledo and Bowling Green.
Players Mentioned
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