XC Relaxed and Excited for Saturday's MAC Championship Race

2018 MAC Cross Country Championships
Saturday, Oct. 27 - Ottawa Park Golf Course, Toledo, Ohio
Women's 6K at 11 a.m.
Live Results | MAC Championship Central | Course Map

After months of preparation, it all comes down to one meet for the Ball State cross country team. Distance coach Rachel McFarlane says a first-place finish in the team's last meet on Oct. 11 has her runners feeling prepared to succeed this weekend.

"That performance happened at the right time," McFarlane said. "It built our confidence even more and has our squad feeling ready to go for the conference meet this weekend."

As the Cardinals head to the Ottawa Golf Course in Toledo, Ohio for the 2018 Mid-American Conference Championships on Oct. 27, McFarlane says the objective is to continue to improve, just as it's been all season long.

"Our goal this weekend is to be better than we've been in the past. It's definitely attainable," McFarland said. "I don't have a specific place in mind, but we will definitely strive to be better than we've been in the past."

Junior Hannah Cummings, who was the second Cardinal to cross the finish line in the previous meet, says she and her teammates feel more prepared for this conference meet than they have in previous years.

"The past few years, this race was more of a stressful thing," Cummings said. "I think now, knowing what our team is capable of doing, it's more exciting. We're not nearly as stressed about it."

All five Ball State scored runners in the #JennaStrong Fall Classic finished within eight seconds of each other. Cummings says that's the kind of team effort everyone is expecting on Saturday.

"Running as a team and having everyone only be a few seconds apart really opened our eyes," Cummings said. "I think that performance will flow right into this weekend. If we can run together like we did last time out, then we can really do a lot at this meet."

McFarlane knows the importance of this race as do her runners. She says the effort they've made to prepare from the beginning of the season has them in good position for a solid performance.

"This is the main focus of the whole season," McFarlane said. "All the work we've done up to this point is for our race on Saturday. When this race is over, I want them to feel like there's nothing more they could've done to have their best race possible."

Cummings says she believes the team's mentality is in the right place, and she's hoping that will lead to success for the whole group.

"I think everyone has a different mindset this year," Cummings said. "We know we can do this, and we know there's no reason why we can't go out and give it everything we have."

Cummings and her teammates will look to give it their all on Saturday in a race for a MAC Championship. The women's 6K race is slated to start at 11 a.m.

For the most up-to-date news on Ball State cross country, follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateTFXC.

XC Relaxed and Excited for Saturday's MAC Championship Race

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Hannah Cummings