CMU placed 11th out of 30 teams, scoring 262 points — an improvement over last year’s 14th-place finish — and had one of the best finishes for the program in several years.

The meet in Bloomington, Ind., was a 10K, a longer race compared to the standard 8K the team ran for much of the season.

The Chippewas were led for the final time by senior Riak Mabil, who finished 36th with a time of 32 minutes, six seconds. Mabil finished first on the team in every race he competed in this year. He also earned first-team All-Mid-American Conference honors at the MAC Championships on Oct. 31.

“He comes from another level than just test and trials,” said cross country director Willie Randolph. “Given his Achilles injury, the fact that he went out there and gave everything he had speaks volumes.”

Coming in second on the team was Tecumseh Adams (49th, 32:28), who managed to place in the top 50 as a true freshman.

“There’s not much more you can ask of from a true freshman,” assistant coach Matt Kaczor said. “To finish top 50, we were very pleased.”

Sophomore Matt Lutzke continued his return from injury, placing 59th (32:28). After several disappointing finishes earlier in the season, Lutzke earned second-team all-conference honors at MAC Championships two weeks ago, after which the coaching staff said he peaked at the right time.

Rounding out the regional meet for CMU was junior Chris Pankow (77th, 32:59), sophomore Jeremy Kiley (120th, 34:00) and junior Adam Smith (144th, 34:30).

Wisconsin took first in a race dominated by Big Ten programs. Five Big Ten teams finished in the top 10, including Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State taking the first three spots. Ohio State’s Jeff See (31:03) finished first in the individual race.

MAC programs Kent State and Eastern Michigan finished ahead of the Chippewas, finishing sixth and ninth respectively.

Both teams are going into the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships seeking top 10 finishes, said director Willie Randolph.

“Our goal is to go and be competitive and get better each year,” he said.

In 2008, the men placed 14th out of 28 teams at regional championships, while the women finished 16th out of 34.

The men are coming off a third-place team finish at the Oct. 31 Mid-American Conference championships, where senior Riak Mabil and junior Sammy Kiprotich finished with first-team All-MAC honors.

Both men will race for the team Saturday, along with senior Jacob Korir, juniors Chris Pankow and Adam Smith, sophomore Matt Lutzke and true freshman Tecumseh Adams.

One of the major goals of the weekend is for Mabil to finish in the top 25 and earn an All-Region honor, said assistant coach Matt Kaczor.

“What can you say about a senior that has put his heart and soul into the program?” he said. “We’re hoping for a great race for him this weekend,” he said.

For the women, junior Melissa Darling also is seeking an All-Region nomination following her seventh-place finish and first-team all-conference feat at the MAC championships.

“We’re really trying to push her through and make a huge step for her coming back next year,” Kaczor said.

In addition to Darling, senior Emily Van Wasshenova, juniors Danielle Dakroub, Raeanne Lohner and Kylee Kubacki, and sophomores Holly Anderson and Charnele Lyons are expected to compete.
The men race at noon while the women will start at 1:15 p.m.

“Now that we’re at the latter part of our season, every minute, every second and every conversation is about still trying to get to nationals,” Randolph said.

Senior Riak Mabil placed second with a time of 25 minutes, 41 seconds, leading CMU to a third-place finish behind Eastern Michigan and winner Kent State at the Mid-American Conference cross country championships in Athens, Ohio.

“Riak went out from the gun and he went out to win,” said cross country director Willie Randolph. “He raced his best and, considering his Achilles injury, you couldn’t ask for more than what you got.”

Junior Sammy Kiprotich earned first-team All-MAC honors for the second consecutive year, finishing seventh with a time of 26:07.

The Chippewas scored 95 points and had an average time of 26:18, even beating Eastern Michigan in the team score by one tenth of a second, 2:11:34.2 to EMU’s 2:11:34.3.

“Considering the conditions, these are not at all the results we were looking for,” Randolph said. “We went in there believing we could run … we could have, but we happened to run into depth issues.”

Another positive from the conference championship for CMU was sophomore Matt Lutzke (26:20) who, after battling nagging injuries all season, earned second-team all-conference honors with an 11th-place overall finish.

“I was pretty happy with my individual race,” Lutzke said. “I pretty much put it all out on the course today.”

Lutzke competed in two events before this weekend, including a 65th-place finish (27:00) at the Spartan Invitational on Sept. 18 and 198th (26:21) at Pre-Nationals on Oct. 17.

Depth

Senior Jacob Korir (16th, 26:35) and junior Chris Pankow (23rd, 26:49) rounded out the scoring for CMU.

While not counting toward team points, junior Adam Smith (25th, 26:52) and freshman Tecumseh Adams (30th, 27:04) also finished in the top 30.

The Chippewas will prepare for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships on Nov. 14 in Bloomington, Ind.

The men finished third, behind last year’s champion Eastern Michigan and winner Kent State, with strong performances from senior Riak Mabil (second, 25 minutes, 41 seconds) and junior Sammy Kiprotich (seventh, 26:07).

Both men were named first team All-MAC, the second straight year Kiprotich has earned the honor.

“Riak went out from the gun and he went out to win,” said cross country director Willie Randolph.

Sophomore Matt Lutzke (26:20) finished 11th overall and earned second team all-conference honors.

“I was pretty happy with my individual race,” Lutzke said. “I pretty much put it all out on the course today.”

The women also had a solid team performance, finishing fourth for the second consecutive year. Junior Melissa Darling (22:35) placed seventh, earning first team all-conference honors.

“It was a great team effort, considering how young they are,” Randolph said. “She (Darling) ran great. She was ruthless from the beginning and kept pressing.”

Check Monday’s CM Life for full recaps on both races.

The men’s team will travel Saturday to Athens, Ohio, for the 2009 Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships, seeking its first conference title since 2004.

“Anytime you go into a conference championship, you go in saying that you want to win and be the best,” said director Willie Randolph. “Anything can happen on a conference day.”

CMU returns five runners that competed in the 2008 MAC Championships, held in Ypsilanti, Mich., where the team finished fourth overall.

Despite a worsening right Achilles, senior Riak Mabil, who finished 12th (25 minutes, one second) last year, will lead the team this weekend. He is seeking his first conference title, with a possibility of Saturday being the last meet of his five-year college career.

“I won’t have any other shot at it,” Mabil said. “It’s all or nothing.”

Pressure is on Mabil and the team to win a title, but there also is a level of pressure on the underclassmen to not let down seniors Mabil and Jacob Korir, Randolph said.

“This is Riak’s last hurrah and his opportunity to leave this program with a ring,” said assistant coach Matt Kaczor.

Behind Mabil is junior Sammy Kiprotich, who led the team and finished seventh (24:49) at the 2008 MAC Championships. Kiprotich finished in the top 50 at the Greater Louisville Classic on Oct. 3.

Junior Chris Pankow and sophomores Jeremy Kiley and Matt Lutzke will compete in the conference championships for a second consecutive year. Pankow placed 19th (25:12) last year as a sophomore in Ypsilanti.

Rounding out the Chippewas’ lineup is true freshman Tecumseh Adams, junior Adam Smith and sophomore Travis Gere, who ran in the open 8K race two weeks ago in Terre Haute, Ind.

“Our goal is to come back with a championship,” Mabil said. “We’re ready; we’ve been working too hard … there’s no way we can’t be ready.”

The team maintained its No. 13 United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association ranking in the Great Lakes region following the Pre-Nationals event on Oct. 1.

The men’s cross country team finished 27th out of 35 teams at the Pre-Nationals meet in Terre Haute, Ind., with an average time of 25 minutes, 34 seconds. The women finished 31st out of 37 teams.

“We got a lot of things done, but we didn’t get a lot of things done,” Randolph said. “It wasn’t a total team effort … It was disappointing because we know we’re a better team.”

Senior Riak Mabil said the team can learn from this week’s struggles.

“We didn’t perform as expected, but it was another learning week,” he said. “It’s in the past now; we need to focus ahead.”

The men placed 37th out of 40 teams in Terre Haute in 2008, while the women finished 38th of 41.

Mabil, who continues to run with a sore Achilles tendon, led the men, finishing 77th out of 237 runners with a time of 24:52. His time was a full 47 seconds faster than his performance at the same event in 2008, where he placed 191st overall.

Junior Sammy Kiprotich, the team’s top finisher in 2008 and competing in only his second meet this season, finished in 136th place (25:32).

Freshman Tecumseh Adams finished third for the team (142nd, 25:34).

Following him was junior Chris Pankow (156th, 25:45), senior Jacob Korir (180th, 26:04), junior Adam Smith (186, 26:09) and sophomore Matt Lutzke (198th, 26:21).

Stanford took first in the men’s race with an average time of 23:51. All seven Stanford runners placed before Mabil, CMU’s top runner.

Sophomore Travis Gere competed in the 8K open race, finishing 82nd (27:39).

The women

Junior Melissa Darling paced the women for the third time this season.

Darling placed 92nd overall with a time of 22:01.
Sophomore Holly Anderson came in second for the team with a 147th overall finish (22:36), earning the praise of her coach.

“She really stepped up and competed,” Randolph said.

Juniors Kylee Kubacki (168th, 22:52), Raeanne Lohner (177th, 22:57) and Danielle Dakroub (191st, 23:13) followed Darling and Anderson. Lohner and Dakroub competed in Pre-Nationals last year.

Closing out for the women was senior Emily Van Wasshenova (197th, 23:16) and junior Brittany Dixon (239th, 24:24).

Colorado finished first in the division race with an average team time of 20:52. Jenny Barringer placed first overall (19:50) and, like the men, all of Colorado’s team placed before CMU’s top runner, Darling, finished.

Both teams will spend the next two weeks preparing for their biggest meet of the season, the Mid-American Conference Championships on Oct. 31 in Athens, Ohio.

“We will run at the MAC Championships more internally with our eyes on the prize,” Randolph said.

The teams travel to Terre Haute, Ind. for Saturday’s Pre-Nationals Invitational meet sponsored by Indiana State University. Last year in Terre Haute, the men and women placed 37th and 38th out of 40 teams, respectively.

The men will compete in the 8K race at 11:40 a.m., while the women are scheduled to begin their 6K at 12:20 p.m. More than 75 of the top cross country teams in the nation will be on hand, including Stanford, Louisville, Oregon, BYU and Georgetown.

“It’s not just running against the regionally ranked teams — we’re in some national competition this weekend,” said cross country director Willie Randolph.

The men are led by senior Riak Mabil, who is recovering from a sore Achilles tendon. Mabil placed ninth at the Spartan Invitation Sept. 18 and 24th at the Greater Louisville Classic on Oct. 3.

Junior Sammy Kiprotich also is looking to show well for the first time during the 2009 season. Kiprotich, a first-team All-Conference honoree last season, has only appeared in one race so far this season, finishing 50th (25:10) at the Greater Louisville Classic.

Rounding out the lineup are senior Jacob Korir, juniors Chris Pankow and Adam Smith, sophomore Jeremy Kiley and freshman Tecumseh Adams. Sophomore Matt Lutzke will fill the eighth and final spot and run in the men’s 1:30 p.m. open race.

“The guys are looking like they’re ready to go,” Randolph said. “They’ve been putting in some great workouts and are looking like more of a unit.”

The women

Junior tandem Melissa Darling and Danielle Dakroub look to continue leading the women Saturday.

Both have been back and forth in previous meets with first-place team finishes.

Darling started out the year with a first place team (first overall) finish at the Jeff Drenth Memorial on Sept. 4. Dakroub came back and took first for the team (16th overall) at the Spartan Invitational in East Lansing, and Darling took first (18th overall) in Louisville.

Not far behind is sophomore Holly Anderson, who will be in the lineup with juniors Kyle Kubacki and Raeanne Lohner, senior Emily Van Wasshenova and junior Brittany Dixon. Kubacki and Lohner competed this past weekend in Grand Rapids at Michigan Intercollegiates.

Sophomore Charnele Lyons will fill the final slot and race in the women’s 2:10 p.m. open race.

Assistant coach Matt Kaczor said the race this weekend is preparing the team for the future.

“This one is really just starting to set ourselves up for the years to come,” Kaczor said. “We have room to grow … we really only have two seniors on the women’s side.”

Quick notes

Following last Friday’s Michigan Intercollegiates meet, Lohner was named CMU’s Scholar Athlete of the Week. Other winners of the award this season include senior football quarterback Dan LeFevour and wide receiver Bryan Anderson.

The men’s team retained its No. 13 Great Lakes regional ranking with the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association this week.

Junior Kylee Kubacki finished 20th place at Calvin College with a time of 18 minutes, 48 seconds, breaking her personal record from her junior year of high school, said assistant coach Matt Kaczor.

“Kylee’s been steadily improving and she’s showing it,” he said.

Junior Raeanne Lohner, a native of nearby East Grand Rapids, also set a personal record with a time of 19:00, placing 27th.

The rest of the squad finished in the top 100. A total of 197 runners competed.

Sophomore Charnele Lyons placed 55th (19:35), sophomore Maddie Ribant 64th (19:49) and sophomore Rachael Wessel 66th (19:50). Freshmenn Jacquelyn McEnhill had a time of 20:11 and freshman Courtnay Hughes had a time of 20:16.

Men’s runners

Sophomore Matt Lutzke led the way for the men, finishing 45th in his first meet since the Sept. 18 Spartan Invitational with a time of 26:35.

“I didn’t really run as well as I wanted to,” Lutzke said. “I felt as if I ran better later on in the race than I did previously … but it’s not where I wanted to be at.”

The men are still looking for a final runner to solidify their lineup heading into the Mid-American Conference Championships and NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championships, and Lutzke said he is hopeful to be a part of that.

“My goal is to help the team out at MAC, regionals and beyond, so I can contribute positively,” Lutzke said.

Kaczor said the team is getting close to naming the final runner, but has not yet.

Sophomore Adam Gere finished 72nd (27:03) and junior Adam Smith placed 75th (27:09).

The Chippewas used the meet to give some younger runners a chance to get some experience for the future.

“It’s always good to get people in uniform and racing so they’re ready for when it’s their turn to take over,” Kaczor said.

The teams will travel to Terre Haute, Ind. on Saturday to compete in Pre-Nationals.

In anticipation of Pre-Nationals on Oct. 17, many of the top runners on both sides are expected to rest this weekend, while younger runners will get an opportunity to show what they can do for the future.

“We never want to run our kids back-to-back weekends unless it’s absolutely necessary,” said cross country director Willie Randolph. “Right now, we’re really just trying to solidify the roster, by one spot if necessary.”

Sophomore Matt Lutzke, who has been battling injury all season and ran in the Sept. 18 Spartan Invitational under the weather, will lead the men.

“My goal is to try and make sure I run better than last race (in East Lansing) and (be) mentally tough,” Lutzke said. “This is going to be my race to see how in shape I am.”
Randolph said he hopes the race will help him improve his form.

“He is going to be focusing on getting himself into extreme shape,” Randolph said. “He’s been injured a little bit but, hopefully, he’ll shake off some things because he’s a top athlete.”

Junior Adam Smith, sophomore Wade Buchs, freshman Giddeon Kiptoo, freshman Jothan Lagat and redshirt freshman Nathan Sanchez will round out the men’s lineup for Friday, said assistant coach Matt Kaczor.

Senior Riak Mabil, juniors Sammy Kiprotich and Chris Pankow, sophomore Jeremy Kiley and freshman Tecumseh Adams will all sit out this weekend.

Juniors Kylee Kubacki and Raeanne Lohner will lead the women’s side.

Other Division I schools competing Friday include Eastern Michigan (men), Michigan State, Oakland, Michigan, Detroit Mercy and Western Michigan (women), in addition to 21 other Division II, Division III, NAIA and community colleges.

The men’s team moved up to No. 13 in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll for the Great Lakes region released Monday.

Ranking just above CMU are fellow conference foes Kent State (10), Miami (11) and Eastern Michigan (12).

The MAC Championships are Oct. 31 at Ohio.

At the age of 13, Mabil, along with three of his siblings, arrived to the United States as refugees from northern Kenya.

“I remember it being very cold outside when I got here,” said the cross country and track and field athlete.

Mabil was born on Jan. 1, 1987, in the Duk village of the Jonglei state in southern Sudan, a nation torn ever since the early 1980s.

When Mabil was four years old, he was displaced following a clash between the northern and southern Sudanese governments.

“I don’t know how I made it out alive; I remember seeing someone get shot,” he said.

The government, in opposition of a coup attempt by the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, led a massacre of Bor, the Jonglei state capital. The fighting left tens of thousands of civilians dead and thousands more the victims of famine.

“We only ate like once a day over the course of a couple months,” Mabil said.

The escape

In November 1993, Mabil’s father, Aquila, took Riak’s mother, Nyadeng, and five of his eight siblings – Aduk, Monyok, Yom, Mathiang and Aleer – to Lakes, a neighboring state west of Jonglei, to escape the bloodshed.

“My dad was a Sudan People’s Liberation Army official based in Warrap (state) and he came and took us after we survived the massacre,” Mabil said.

Mabil left in early 2000 for the Kukuma Refugee Camp in northern Kenya, where he met up with sister Aduk. At the camp, he met older brothers Jacob and Mawut, and sister Nyaring, for the first time.

“My older brothers were part of ‘The Lost Boys’ who left home in 1987, so I never got to meet them until I came to Kakuma,” Mabil said.

The Lost Boys of Sudan was the name given to the 27,000-plus orphaned boys during the civil war from 1983 to 2005, when the fighting came to an end.

Mabil’s parents remain in southern Sudan today. He has not seen them since leaving northern Kenya in 2000, but talks to them on the phone on occasion.

“They’re happy that I’m going to school here — that’s the main thing,” Mabil said.

A new life

Change came quickly for Riak as the Lutheran Social Services of Michigan placed him and his three siblings — 17-year-old brother Jacob, 15-year-old sister Aduk and 12-year-old sister Nyariing — with a foster care family in Charlotte, Mich. There, he enrolled for the eighth grade spring semester and began his high school career at Charlotte High School.

“It was different (the atmosphere), but we all got along,” he said. “The first couple days of school were difficult; not knowing where to go, but a lot of kids were willing to help.”

Tom Sneckenberg, Charlotte High School football coach and Mabil’s cross country/track and field coach during the 2002 and 2003 seasons, said Mabil’s willingness to work and prove himself made him stand out.

“He was one of my best runners, even as a freshman,” he said. “His work ethic was such; the kids never doubted his ability … and he proved that time in and time out.”

Mabil lived down a dirt road in the country and would run in or ride his bike miles to school most of the time, Sneckenberg said.

Finding success

Social services moved Mabil halfway through his sophomore year to Grand Ledge, where he attended Grand Ledge High School.

Things did not click right away, though.

“He was extremely shy at the beginning, but he became more outgoing as he continued on in sports,” Lutheran Social Services caseworker Sally Campbell said.

Grand Ledge cross country coach Kim Spalsbury runs a team-based program, something Mabil clashed with in the beginning.

“He excelled from day one with us, but it took a little while before we could get on the same page training-wise,” he said.

It did not take very long before Mabil experienced success, however. He went on to become a three time all-state performer and currently holds the school record in cross country (15 minutes, 48 seconds), Spalsbury said.

“By the time he reached his senior year, he was accepted and well known at Grand Ledge,” Spalsbury said.

His success brought on looks from several different schools in Michigan, as well as Minnesota and Indiana, including a scholarship offer from Eastern Michigan, Mabil said.

“I’m incredibly proud of him,” Campbell said. “I feel so blessed to be able to watch and participate in his life. I think I’ve learned more from him than he has from me.”

Coming to CMU

Mabil’s decision to come to CMU was made after attending the Mid-American Conference Indoor Track Championship the school hosted and won in February 2005.

“It was electric in the building and I wanted to be a part of that,” he said. “We have the MAC Indoor Championships this February so, hopefully, I can do something to help the team and make it feel like February 2005 all over again.”

Mabil also attributes friend Abraham Mach, who ran for the team from 2006-08, as another variable that attracted him to Mount Pleasant.

“He’s from the same part of southern Sudan as I am and our story is basically the same,” Mabil said. “He went to East Lansing High School and our schools were rivals so, when he was here, it made me want to come here, too. He was really good and I wondered what it would be like to be on the same team.”

Since coming to CMU in 2006, Mabil has competed in cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field consistently since the 2007 season. He was named second-team all-conference for cross country last season and MAC Indoor Track and Field Champion in the 5000m last spring.

Director of cross country/track and field Willie Randolph said Mabil’s life experience has allowed him to grow as a person.

“It’s an opportunity for other athletes to really understand what hard work, dedication and focus really means,” Randolph said. “Coming from the environment he came from and the experiences he’s had, you really can’t say anything about it unless you’ve experienced it yourself.”

Looking back, Mabil said his youth as a refugee made him a stronger person.

“Where I’m from is a place where little boys become grown men at a young age,” he said. “I saw a lot of things a little child should have never seen.”