Bulls Run Strong Races at MAC Championships

Saturday, October 28

Bowling Green, OH

11:00am

MAC Championships

Bulls Run Strong Races at MAC Championships

10/28/2023 4:24:00 PM | Cross Country

BOWLING GREEN, OHIO – The Buffalo cross country team competed at the MAC Championships on Saturday afternoon hosted by Bowling Green University. After previewing the course two weeks ago with a first-place finish at the Falcon Invitational Men's 8k, the men finished strong once again as a group, placing fourth of nine teams with 109 points.

The Bulls were led by senior Evan Hilbert once again, who finished 13^th and completed the 8k course in 24:44.25. Hilbert earned All-MAC Second Team honors following the race. The next four Buffalo finishers all placed within ten spots of each other, with Sean O'Brien placing 19^th (25:53.83), William Marchant finishing 20^th (24:55.01), Matt Gensel placing 22nd (25:57.40), and Noah Brightman rounding out the top five at 29^th (25:15.07).

"The men ran a beautiful race," said Associate Head Coach Todd Witzleben. "The depth of our squad truly showed. O'Brien led us out, and Hilbert passed 24 athletes over the second half of the race to move into an All-MAC position."

On the women's side, Buffalo placed ninth of 12 teams with 241 points. Freshman Aleksandra Szulska placed first for the Bulls, finishing 18^th among the field with a time of 21:22.51. Bronagh Cassidy (45^th, 22:22.21) and Anna Recktenwalt (50^th, 22:27.95) placed next for the Bulls, with Vassi Klock (62^nd, 22:45.33) and Lacey Danilovitz (66^th, 22:55.8) rounding out the top five for Buffalo.

"We went into MAC Championships ranked tenth among the conference, and outperformed that with a ninth place finish", said Head Coach Vicki Mitchell. "Szulska got out very strong and fought through a tough field to lead the team. Cassidy and Recktenwalt ran outstanding races, moving up throughout the 6k and running their personal best times. The young squad came into the race with more confidence and will continue to grow leading to a very exciting future."

For complete results from the meet, click here.

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").