Cross Country Heads To 2009 MAC Championships

Cross Country Takes Top Eight Slots In BSU Invitational

October 28, 2009 | Cross Country

By: Ball State Athletics

MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State cross country team will travel to Athens, Ohio for the second time this season Saturday, when it runs in the 2009 Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships hosted by Ohio University. The 6K run is slated for 10:30 a.m. at the Ohio University Golf Course.

After an 11th-place finish at the 2008 MAC Championships, the Cardinals look to improve their overall placing with the return of senior Ali Bishel (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton H.S.) who redshirted last season. Bishel, who has led BSU in each meet she has competed in this season, was the Cardinals front-runner in her last MAC Championships performance in 2007, placing second overall and helping BSU to a fifth-place team finish.

The Cardinals' lone 6K action in 2009 came at the Sam Bell Invitational (Oct. 17), their most recent meet. Bishel led all Cardinals with a time of 22:10.20 while finishing sixth overall.

Senior Sarah Kehe (Westfield, Ind./Chesterton H.S.) is BSU's leading returner from last season's MAC Championships in which she placed 36th (18:18.4) on the 5K course. In BSU's previous trip to Ohio (Sept. 26), Kehe led BSU in the 3K Ohio University Invitational placing fourth. The meet was originally scheduled to be a 6K run before weather shortened the race.

Below are BSU's top 5K and 6K individual results from 2009.

Top 6K Results
Ali Bishel - 22:10.20
Sarah Kehe - 23:24.42
Christine Talhelm - 24:36.05
Lisa Arrowsmith - 25:08.19
MaryKate Mellen - 25:21.76
Emilee Zets - 26:07.70
Andrea Korzan - 26:22.83
Kayla Eiler - 28:41.17