Oakland University’s cross-country teams traveled to Green Bay, Wisconsin, this last weekend to compete in the Horizon League Championship. Both teams finished in the top three, with the men’s team earning a third-place finish and the women coming in second.
The Golden Grizzlies women’s team kicked off the championship at noon, running the 6000-meter race. Senior Erin Hegarty placed the highest out of any of Oakland’s runners, coming in fourth place with an outstanding time of 21:31.1.
“Leaving championships on this note is really special. I’m very proud of how our team battled today. I know we gave it our all despite the setbacks we faced this season,” Hegarty said.
She led the pack and started a solid showing for the team. Graduate student Grace Nolan wasn’t too far behind her, though; she came in seventh at 21:40.1. Rounding out the top thirty was junior Haileigh Bissett at 15th, sophomore Hannah Fisher at 23rd, graduate student Brooke Aho at 25th and sophomore Genavieve Kushner-Lopez at 30th.
Nolan was especially reflective as she thought about racing in her final championship meet, emphasizing how proud she was of her teammates and their accomplishments.
“We battled with the most competitive teams in the conference in a race that we knew would be tough to win but within our ability. To place second in a very close race is something to celebrate, and I am so proud of everyone who contributed to that,” Nolan said. “This sport is physically and mentally demanding, and I’m inspired by how everyone stepped up in a high-stress environment like a conference championship.”
After the women’s team finished, the men’s team took the course for the 8000-meter race.
Graduate student Yami Albrecht led Oakland with a ninth-place finish and a time of 24:40.1. Right on his heels were junior Wesley Hollowell and graduate student Michael Hancock, placing 12th and 13th, respectively. Senior Tristan Brandenburg was the only other top 30 finisher for Oakland.
Hollowell praised sophomore teammates Carter McCalister, who finished 47th with a time of 26:12.2, and Logan Detweiler for their great races.
“Carter raced his first 8k and to show the strength he did was incredibly impressive,” Hollowell said. “Logan made amazing moves throughout the race to hold our fifth spot and demonstrated his strength mid-race. These two are guys to look out for on the track and next year in Fort Wayne for our XC conferences next year.”
It was a great effort from the men’s team but not enough to unseat champion Youngstown State or second-place IU Indianapolis. Albrecht, Hollowell and Hancock all earned all-conference second-team honors. On the women’s team, Nolan and Hegarty both earned all-conference first-team honors.
With this being Nolan’s last year, she gave the team something to hold on to and remember going forward.
“Happy runners are fast runners — focus on finding joy in the process, and the results will follow,” Nolan said.
The season isn’t quite over yet for either team. On Nov. 15, the NCAA Great Lakes Regional will be held in Akron, Ohio, where teams in the Great Lakes region of Division I cross country will race to determine who will compete in the national championship.