Bulls to Compete at MAC Championships on Saturday

Saturday, October 28

Bowling Green, OH

11:00am

University at Buffalo

MAC Championships

Bulls to Compete at MAC Championships on Saturday

10/25/2023 9:19:00 AM | Cross Country

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo cross country team will compete at the MAC Championships in Bowling Green, Ohio, on Saturday, the exact course where the Bulls finished first place at just over a week ago in the Falcon Invitational Men's 8k.

"Winning the Falcon Invitational on the MAC Championship course has given the team confidence heading into the championships," said Associate Head Coach, Todd Witzleben.

The Buffalo men had 49 points in their first-place finish, with seven runners placing within the top 15 finishers. Senior Evan Hilbert led the way for the men with a fifth-place finish in just his second 8k race this season, showing time improvements throughout the fall after returning from a summer injury. Matt Gensel was the second runner to place for the Bulls and has been a mainstay in the Buffalo top five, finishing as a top two runner for the team in all three 8k races this season. Behind Hilbert and Gensel, the Bulls had five consecutive finishers, with Jacob Brink, William Marchant, Sean O'Brien, Luke Stoeffler and Noah Brightman placing 11 through 15.

"We must maintain our composure and keep that lead pack together. If we do that, we could be fighting for a podium finish over the last mile."

The team enters the MAC Championship ranked 15th in the Northeast region, looking to win their first MAC Championship in program history. There are several regionally ranked MAC programs to battle from the Great Lakes region, including 7^th-ranked Akron, 8^th-ranked Miami of Ohio, 9^th-ranked Toledo and 15^th-ranked Ohio. The Bulls beat out Toledo (3^rd, 131) and Bowling Green (6^th, 142) at the Falcon Invitational, while Miami and Ohio competed in the Virginia Pre-National meet. The Akron men did not race.

"With the addition of Miami, Akron, and Toledo's "A" squad, we know the pace will be much more aggressive this weekend. We've been preparing for that."

On the women's side, Buffalo enters the MAC Championship unranked regionally. The Bulls finished sixth of nine teams in their 6k event at the Falcon Invitational, placing behind MAC opponents Bowling Green (1^st) and Akron (2^nd), but ahead of last place Eastern Michigan.

"Previewing the championship course last weekend has assisted in building more confidence going into the highly competitive field at the MAC Championships," said Head Coach Vicki Mitchell. "The women have shown steady progress in each competition this season, building on each race with stronger performances."

Buffalo has been led by freshman Aleksandra Szulska, who's been the Bulls' top finisher in all four of the races she's competed in. The freshman placed first at Colgate's Harry Lang Invitational 5k in her Buffalo debut, with a time of 17:57.7. At the Falcon Invitational, Szulska completed the 6k course in 21:14.1, good for a third-place finish and being the second MAC runner to place, just nine seconds behind the first-place finisher from Akron. Throughout her three 6k races this season, the freshman has improved her time by 28 seconds.

The women's team has seen time improvements outside of Szulska too. Sophomore Vassi Klock, who's been a top-five finisher in all of the women's 6k races for the Bulls, improved her 6k time by 43 seconds from the Penn State Spiked Shoe Event to the Falcon Invite. The same goes for junior Anna Recktenwalt, who's improved her 6k time by 62 seconds this season.

"The women have seen dramatic improvements throughout the fall. The MAC Championships are the pinnacle of the season, and they are ready to get after it."

The MAC Championship meet begins at 11 am in Bowling Green. For more coverage of Buffalo men's and women's cross country, follow the program on X (@UB_XCTF), Instagram (@BullsTFXC) and Facebook ("Buffalo Track & Cross Country").