Championship Central Page

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (Cross Country) – The 2016 Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Cross Country Championships will be held on Saturday, Oct. 29 at the Starry Athletic Complex in Mechanicsburg, Pa. Messiah College is serving as host for this year’s event.
 
The championship event will begin with the men’s 8,000-meter race at 11 a.m., and the women’s 6,000-meter race will follow at 12 p.m. The awards ceremony is set for approximately 1:15 p.m. or 30 minutes after women’s results become official.
 
Admission to the 2016 MAC Cross Country Championships is free, and programs will also be available for free. There will be short-sleeved ($15) and long-sleeved ($18) graphite-gray moisture wick t-shirts with the championship logo for sale on location while supplies last. Directions, parking and course maps are available at the championship central page. Results, photos and video interviews will be posted on the championship central page after the conclusion of the championships.
 
All 17 MAC institutions will be competing for the men’s and women’s cross country conference titles, including Albright, Alvernia, Arcadia, Delaware Valley, DeSales, Eastern, FDU-Florham, Hood, King’s, Lebanon Valley, Lycoming, Manhattanville, Messiah, Misericordia, Stevenson, Widener and Wilkes.
 
Widener has won the previous three men’s team and individual titles. The Pride have six all-time men’s team titles, and a conference-best 15 individual men’s titles. Two-time conference champion and MAC Runner of the Year, Ernie Pitone returns in his final season seeking his third-straight title. The senior is looking to be the first to do so since the Pride’s Macharia Yuot won four-straight from 2003-06. Only six other men’s conference runners have won three or more individual titles since the first championship in 1916. Two of those runners won four.
 
The men’s race will have four of the 2015 top-10 finishers returning to this year’s championship including 1. Pitone, 2. Will McDermott (Widener), 4. Gabe Lamm (DeSales) and 6. Will Edwards (DeSales). Lamm was named the 2015 MAC Rookie of the Year. Nine of the 2015 All-MAC Second Team (11-20^th place) return this year.
 
Misericordia has won the previous two women’s team titles and the last individual title. Messiah has the most women’s team titles among current conference members with five, while DeSales has the most women’s individual titles among current conference members with four. The Bulldogs, who are currently receiving 12 votes, have been ranked or receiving votes in the USTFCCCA Division III Top-35 poll for most the season.
 
The women’s race will have seven of the 2015 top-10 finishers returning to this year’s championship including, 2. Veronica Wheeler (DeSales), 3. Angelina Biondo (DeSales), 6. Bethany Killmon (Misericordia), 7. Amy Viti (Misericordia), 8. Kierra Zack (Eastern), 9 Morgan Jones (Wilkes) and 10. Alissa Rogers (Messiah). Biondo was named the 2015 MAC Rookie of the Year, while teammate Wheeler was the 2014 MAC Rookie of the Year. Seven of the 2015 All-MAC Second Team (11-20^th place) return this year.