Saturday, October 30
Ypsilanti, Mich.
12:00 PM
Ball State University
vs
MAC Championships
Photo by: Cody Voga/Ball State Athletics
Machan earns All-MAC honors as Ball State competes at conference championship
October 30, 2021 | Cross Country
Sophomore finishes fourth for second-straight year
YPSILANTI, Mich. – Elka Machan earned First Team All-Mid-American Conference honors after leading the Ball State cross country team Saturday afternoon at the MAC Championship at Eagle Crest Golf Club.
Machan finished fourth with a personal-best 6k time of 20:46.9. It marked the second consecutive fourth-place finish by the sophomore in two appearances in the conference championship.
After finishing inside the top-seven once again, Machan became the first Cardinal to earn two first-team nods on the all-conference team since Alison Bishel, who accomplished the feat in 2007 and 2009.
As a team, Ball State placed seventh with 195 points. Toledo won the event with 32 points.
"Today was a good opportunity for us to see who we are," Cardinals head coach Adrian Wheatley said. "We had some individuals that had lifetime PRs at the championship, and that's where we want to have them. As a team and a staff, we always want to continue to get better. This is laying down the foundation that we need to take it to that next level."
Sophomore Kylee Mastin finished second on the team and 35th overall after crossing the line at 22:21.9.
Competing in her first postseason race, freshmen Carly Spletzer posted a 6k time of 22:26.1, while senior Karleigh Conner and freshman Jenna Schifferer completed their run in 22:56.6 and 22:57.2, respectively.
In addition to the underclassmen, seniors Maddie Aul and Conner continued the pack mentality Saturday afternoon, drawing praise from Wheatley following the conclusion of his first conference meet at the helm.
"I was really pleased with our seniors who kept coming and kept competing. Karleigh (Conner) and Maddie (Aul) had great opportunities to run really hard today. It was exciting to see Elka have a lifetime PR and make all-conference. The future is bright here and we're excited."
Ball State now shifts its focus to NCAA Regionals, which is set to take place Nov. 13 in Evansville, Ind.
Machan finished fourth with a personal-best 6k time of 20:46.9. It marked the second consecutive fourth-place finish by the sophomore in two appearances in the conference championship.
After finishing inside the top-seven once again, Machan became the first Cardinal to earn two first-team nods on the all-conference team since Alison Bishel, who accomplished the feat in 2007 and 2009.
As a team, Ball State placed seventh with 195 points. Toledo won the event with 32 points.
"Today was a good opportunity for us to see who we are," Cardinals head coach Adrian Wheatley said. "We had some individuals that had lifetime PRs at the championship, and that's where we want to have them. As a team and a staff, we always want to continue to get better. This is laying down the foundation that we need to take it to that next level."
Sophomore Kylee Mastin finished second on the team and 35th overall after crossing the line at 22:21.9.
Competing in her first postseason race, freshmen Carly Spletzer posted a 6k time of 22:26.1, while senior Karleigh Conner and freshman Jenna Schifferer completed their run in 22:56.6 and 22:57.2, respectively.
In addition to the underclassmen, seniors Maddie Aul and Conner continued the pack mentality Saturday afternoon, drawing praise from Wheatley following the conclusion of his first conference meet at the helm.
"I was really pleased with our seniors who kept coming and kept competing. Karleigh (Conner) and Maddie (Aul) had great opportunities to run really hard today. It was exciting to see Elka have a lifetime PR and make all-conference. The future is bright here and we're excited."
Ball State now shifts its focus to NCAA Regionals, which is set to take place Nov. 13 in Evansville, Ind.
Players Mentioned
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