The Miami University men's and women's cross-country teams had challenging races Oct. 30 at the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship in Kalamazoo, Mich. The women's team, which hoped to take home a third MAC Championship, placed third behind Central Michigan University and University of Toledo, while the men's team tied for second with Kent State University.

At 11 a.m. Saturday, the women's cross country team laced up to run a 6K race at Pine View Golf Course. With windy conditions and strong competition, the RedHawks could not pull off the three-peat this season.

Senior Rachel Patterson led the RedHawks, finishing third overall with a personal best time. Junior Maggie Bingham followed Patterson, finishing 11th overall, and junior Kelly Miller quickly followed, finishing 13th overall. Sophomore Jillian Dickman also ran a personal best, finishing 18h, while senior Amanda Mirochma had an off-race, finishing 24th. Freshman Kate Carter finished 26th overall, making a strong first appearance at the conference meet, while senior Katie Lenahan had a challenging race, finishing 40th overall.

Patterson received First-Time All-MAC accolades, and Bingham and Miller accepted Second-Team All-MAC honors.

At noon, the men's cross country team ran the 8K race, hoping to take home the conference title for the first time since 1998. In 2009, the Red and White finished fourth behind Kent State, Eastern Michigan University and Central Michigan. While falling short of first, the RedHawks improved from last season, tying for second with defending champion Kent State.

"It was really deceiving today," junior Chris Dennison said. "We all went out really fast and instead of going our pace we did what everyone else did."

Sophomore David Eichenburger led the RedHawks with a career-best time, placing fourth overall, while Senior Michael Perry had a season-best time, finishing sixth overall. Sophomore Jarrod Eick finished 21st, Dennision finished 31st and freshman Matt Marol finished two places later at 33. Senior Robbie Fisher had a difficult race, finishing 34th, and freshman David Wing finished five spots behind Fisher, placing 39th.

Both Eichenburger and Perry received First-Time All-MAC honors as a result of finishing in the top seven.

"It was a very blustery day, and times ended up being slower for everyone," Head Coach Waren Mandrell said. "We knew we would be one of those top three teams. We came up here to win, so obviously the guys are disappointed, but as a team they ran a solid race."

The RedHawks return to action Nov. 13 to race in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship in Rochester, Mich. The women's team will try to redeem itself at the regionals to qualify for the NCAA Championships, while the men's team will try to improve its 14th-place finish from last season and also qualify for the NCAA Championships.