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UB Runners Prep For MACs at Falcon Invitational

Mary Veith

BOWLING GREEN, OH – The University at Buffalo cross country squads prepared for the upcoming Mid-American Conference Championships by meeting several of their conference cohorts at the Bowling Green Falcon Invitational on Saturday. The Bulls picked up strong individual finishes on both the men's and women's sides as both teams finished near the top of the team standings.

The UB men placed fourth among 13 squads with a team total of 98 points as MAC foe Kent State scored 32 to take team honors. The UB women finished sixth in an 18-team field with 163 points as MAC member Miami held off fellow MAC squad Toledo, 65-69, to take the women's meet.

Nicole Soblosky

Individually, the UB women picked up a pair of top-five finishes. Junior Mary Veith (Derby, NY/Lake Shore) was the top finisher for the Bulls as she crossed the finish line third overall in 17:45.47. The time was Veith's fastest 5K clocking of the season as she cut 54 seconds off her first-place time from the UB Stampede Open on September 22.

Joining Veith in the women's top five was sophomore Nicole Soblosky (Colonie, NY/Colonie). Soblosky cut nearly a minute and a half off her previous season best along the 5K course at Bowling Green with a time of 18:02.67. Soblosky had a previous-best time of 19:27.6 from the UB Stampede Open.

Miami's Laura Neufarth won the women's individual title in 17:37.97 with unattached entrant Monica Joyce finishing second in 17:44.13.

Dan Giza

In the men's meet, senior Dan Giza (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) turned in another season-best clocking with his fourth-place overall finish. Giza finished the men's 8K course in 25:23.69 slicing six seconds from his previous top mark of the season, set two weeks ago at the Paul Short Invitational.

Freshman Ryan Bloom (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport) also had a season-best time with his 17th-place finish. Bloom turned in a clocking of 25:54.84, bettering his previous collegiate best of 26:22 set at the Spartan Invite on September 15.

Bowling Green's Eddie Kipchoge ran away from the men's field to win the overall title in 24:41.64, 19 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.

The Bulls now prepare for the MAC Championships, their next meet, on October 27. The MAC Championships will be held in Mt. Pleasant, MI and hosted by Central Michigan University.