UAA Cross Country Championships Web Site
The Emory University men's and women's country teams return to action on Saturday (Oct. 29) when they host the 30th Annual University Athletic Association Championships. The Championships will be held at McIntosh Reserve Park in Whitesburg, Ga., with the men's 8K starting at 10:30 am followed by the women's 6K at 11:15 am.
Both races will feature some of the top talent in the Division III ranks with four men's programs and three women's teams garnering recognition in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Top 35 Poll. On the men's side, the Eagles hold down the No. 22 spot nationally while other ranked squads include No. 10 and defending league champ Carnegie Mellon University, No. 13 Washington University and No. 18 New York University. CMU's title in 2015 snapped a five-year streak where Wash U had claimed the crown. Emory enters this year's event having finished in fifth place for three straight seasons.
After being slowed during the early portion of the year, senior Lukas Mees is rounding into form, pacing the team at the Greater Louisville Classic while ranking second among the pack at the Rowan University Inter-Regional Border Battle. Mees earned First Team All-UAA recognition last season, Emory's first such honoree since 2009, after finishing runner-up. Freshman Luis Torres has been among Emory's top three finishers in all four of his competitions while sophomore Bennett Shaw has scored for the team on four occasions. Seniors Michael Sisario and Michael McBane look for big efforts after coming off fine performances at the Rowan meet.
The Emory women, ranked 19th nationally, will be looking to improve upon last season's fifth-place showing. No. 4-ranked Washington University enters the weekend as two-time defending champion while No. 13 Chicago won back-to-back crowns in 2012 and 2013.
Junior Gabrielle Stravach has been the team's No. 1 performer in all four of her competitions and is coming off a 22nd-place overall finish out of 386 entries at the Rowan Inter-Regional Border Battle. Juniors Tru Powell and Megan Waples have been consistent as well, scoring for the team in all four of their races.
At the Rowan meet, the Emory men finished seventh out of 43 teams while the women were eighth out of 45.