The University of Toledo
11/05/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/05/2024 13:36
Women’s Cross Country Makes History With Fourth Consecutive MAC Championship
Women's Cross Country Makes History With Fourth Consecutive MAC Championship
Redshirt freshman Mercy Kinyanjui captured a first-place finish at the Mid-American Conference Women's Cross Country Championship in Muncie, Indiana on Saturday, helping lead Toledo to its fourth-consecutive league title.
This is the 10th MAC title for Toledo, tying Ohio for the most league crowns, and the first time that the Rockets have won four consecutive conference titles. Toledo is one of only four MAC schools (Ohio, EMU, BGSU) to win four or more consecutive championships.
The Toledo Women's Cross Country team won their fourth-consecutive MAC Championship on Saturday in Muncie, Indiana, a first for the program.
Toledo dominated the race, capturing the five of the top 14 positions in the race for 32 points. Ohio was a distant second with 82 points.
Kinyanjui crossed the finish line with a final time of 20:13.91, the seventh time a Rocket has won the individual MAC championship and the first since 2021 when Joy Chirchir took the title.
Laura Nicholson followed right behind Kinyanjui in second place, securing a final time of 20:21.44. Lou Trois took fifth with a mark of 2:32.46 while Lianna Surtz (10th/20:51.31) and Melody Jebiwot (14th/21:03.68) rounded out the scoring for UT.
Kinyanjui, Nicholson and Trois were named First Team All-MAC while Surtz and Jebiwot earned spots on the Second Team All-MAC list. Head Coach Andrea Grove-McDonough was named the MAC Coach of the Year for the fourth consecutive season.
"We trained well and were well-prepared for today's race," said Grove-McDonough. "We put ourselves in really tough, elite races this year against some of the best competition in the country, which really helped us be prepared for today. We had a rough year last year, so we wanted to show the conference, our supporters and ourselves that we are fully back with a dominant win.
"I really wanted this fourth consecutive win for our seniors and for the women that came in and believed in this program and what we could do as a team. I am so proud of them and the legacy they are leaving behind at Toledo."
Toledo continues the championship portion of its season as the Rockets head to the NCAA Great Lakes Regional race hosted by Akron on Nov. 15.