The Malone University men’s cross country team, led by veteran head coach Jack Hazen, has captured its third straight NAIA national title (and fourth in school history) at the NAIA National Championships in Vancouver, Washington Saturday while the Pioneer women’s team finished in third place.  With the fourth title for the men, only two other NAIA programs have more men’s national titles than Malone (Adams State, CO with 12 and Lubbock Christian, TX with 8).

The Malone men tallied 44 points, which was the lowest point total for the men’s meet since 1998, among a 32-team field for their national crown to easily win by one of the largest margins in meet history.  Concordia (NE) University was second with 166 points, Southern Oregon University took third at 188, Shawnee State University came in fourth at 229 and Embry-Riddle (FL) University rounded out the top five with 264 points.   In addition, Malone head coach Jack Hazen earned NAIA Men’s National Coach of the Year honors.

The Pioneer women racked up 163 points for their third-place finish among a 32-team field as Cal State-San Marcos took the women’s team title with 137 points.  Biola (CA) University was second with 140 points, Simon Fraser (B.C.) University took fourth with 195 points while Azusa Pacific (CA) University rounded out the top five with 199 points.

For the men, Aaron Melhorn (Jr., Fairless H.S.) paced Malone with a third-place finish overall in a time of 24:36 while James Zeuch (Jr., Galion H.S.) was fifth overall in 25:15.  Paul Robinson (Sr., Field H.S.) finished 11^th in 25:27, Chris Sinick (Sr.,. Field H.S.) came in 12^th in 25:29 and  Evan Gaynor (Sr., Delta H.S.) placed 18^th in  25:39.  All five runners earned NAIA All-America honors by virtue of their Top 30 finishes.  Also competing for Malone were Tony Migliozzi (So., St. Thomas Aquinas H.S.), who finished 47^th (26:03), and Nick Meeson (Fr., Lakewood H.S.), who placed 55^th (26:11).

For the women, Sarah Hines (Sr., Northmor H.S.) led the way with a 29^th-place finish overall in a time of 18:54 to earn the lone All-America honor for the women.  Also scoring for Malone were Rebekah Genter (Sr., Van Wert H.S.) in 38^th (19:11), Erin Bauer (So., Loveland H.S.) in 40^th (19:12), Tynae Wilson (So., Fort Wayne, IN) in 51^st (19:21) and Lindsey Pifher (Jr., Colonel Crawford H.S.) in 64^th (19:29).  Others who competed for the team included Ashton Avery (So., McKinley H.S.) in 76^th (19:38) and Emily Grad (Jr., Field H.S.) in 112^th 19:59).

In addition, Malone University earned the Team Award for lowest combined score with 207 points (44 men, 163 women) and easily defeated runner-up Simon Fraser (B.C.) University, which had 470 points (275 men, 195 women).

The Malone men’s cross country team, ranked #2 in the NAIA, captured its fifth consecutive national team title at the NCCAA National Championships, held in Cedarville, Ohio on Saturday, while the Pioneer women’s team, ranked #5 in the NAIA, finished as national runners-up.  The Malone men finished first among a 23-team field while the women placed second among a 19-team field.

In the men’s standings, Malone finished with 36 points to easily defeat runner-up Cedarville, which had 70 points.  Indiana Wesleyan University took third with 89 points, King (TN) College placed fourth with 133 points and Olivet Nazarene (IL) University rounded out the top five with 164 points.

In the women’s standings, Cedarville won the team title with 40 points while Malone earned its runner-up position with 57 points.  Indiana Wesleyan was third with 99 points, Bethel (IN) College came in fourth with 129 points and King rounded out the top five with 157 points.

For the men, Malone placed four student-athletes in the top eight spots as Nick Meeson (Fr., Lakewood H.S.) led the way for the Pioneers with a second-place overall finish in a time of 25:45.  Zach Mathias (So., Galion H.S.) placed third overall in 25:57, Tony Migliozzi (So., St. Thomas Aquinas H.S.) was fourth in 26:00 and Bryce Pulley (Fr., Cuyahoga Falls H.S.) grabbed eighth in 26:28.  By virtue of their top 15 finishes, all four Pioneers earned NCAA All-America honors.  Jeremy Arthur (So., Medina H.S.) also scored for Malone and finished 19^th in 26:59.  Others who competed for Malone were Kyle Randolph (Jr., Galion H.S.), who placed 29^th in 27:23, and Nate Slaughter (Fr., Cuyahoga Falls H.S.), who finished 46^th in 28:22.  In addition, Malone head coach Jack Hazen was named the NCCAA National Men’s Coach of the Year.

For the women, Erin Bauer (So., Loveland H.S.) paced the team with a fourth-place finish overall in a time of 18:50 while Lindsey Pifher (Jr., Colonel Crawford H.S.) was close behind in sixth place in 18:55.  Brynn Chaskel (Fr., Liberty Benton H.S.), who placed seventh in 18:58, joined Bauer and Pifher as NCCAA All-Americans by virtue of their top 15 finishes.  Also scoring for Malone were Hannah Hartzler (Fr., Norwayne H.S.) in 19^th (19:24) and Gabrielle Wuensch (So., New London H.S.) in 21^st (19:25).  Melissa Roth (So., Celina H.S.), who placed 32^nd in 19:52, and Kalie Hauenstein (Sr., Ashland H.S.), who finished 50^th in 20:42, also competed for the team.

 

The Malone University men’s and women’s cross country teams, ranked second and fifth, respectively, in the NAIA national ratings, both captured team titles at the American Mideast Conference Championships in Cedarville, Ohio Saturday.  The men’s team continued its streaking of having never lost a conference/district/region meet while the women’s team won its first conference title since 2004.  In addition, Aaron Melhorn (Jr., Fairless H.S.) took the individual men’s title in a time of 25:17.  With the victories, both teams have again earned a berth to the NAIA Cross Country Championships, this year in Port Vancouver, Washington November 21^st.

Among a 10-team AMC field, the Malone men easily cruised to the title with 19 points as NAIA #6 Shawnee State University placed second with 55 points while NAIA #18 Cedarville University finished third with 71 points.  Walsh University placed fourth with 162 points and Houghton (NY) College rounded out the top five with 173 points.

Among an 11-team women’s field, the Pioneer women tallied 32 points for their victory as NAIA #7 Cedarville finished as runners-up with 44 points.  Shawnee State was third with 102 points, Houghton took fourth with 121 points and Walsh rounded out the top five with 138 points.

For the men, Melhorn led Malone’s 1-3-4-5-6 finish as Evan Gaynor (Sr., Delta H.S.) finished third for the team in 25:33.  James Zeuch (Jr., Galion H.S.) took fourth in 25:40, Paul Robinson (Sr., Field H.S.) placed fifth in 25:46 and Chris Sinick (Sr., Field H.S.) came in sixth in 25:51.  Each of these runners earned All-AMC First Team accolades. 

Nick Meeson (Fr., Lakewood H.S.) finished in 10^th place overall (26:04) while Tony Migliozzi (So., St. Thomas Aquinas H.S.) placed 12^th (26:13) as both were named to the All-AMC Second Team.  In addition, head coach Jack Hazen was named AMC Men’s Coach of the Year.

Others who competed for the men’s team were Zach Mathias (So., Galion H.S.) in 19^th (27:02), Jeremy Arthur (So., Medina H.S.) in 24^th (27:18), Bryce Pulley (Fr., Cuyahoga Falls H.S.) in 30^th (27:34), Nate Slaughter (Fr., Cuyahoga Falls H.S.) in 33^rd (27:43), Kyle Randolph (Jr., Galion H.S.) in 38^th (27:55) and Brandon Lang (Fr., New London H.S.) in 46^th (28:40).

The Malone women’s team posed a 4-5-6-8-9 finish as Sarah Hines (Sr., Northmor H.S.) led the way with her fourth-place finish in a time of 18:50.  Rebekah Genter (Sr., Crestview H.S.) was fifth in 18:58 while Erin Bauer (So., Loveland H.S.) finished a fraction of a second behind Genter in sixth place in the same 18:58 time.  The trio was named to the All-AMC First Team for their efforts.

Emily Grad (Jr., Field H.S.) finished eighth (19:05), Tynae Wilson (So., Fort Wayne, IN) took ninth (19:07), Brynn Chaskel (Fr., Liberty Benton H.S.) placed 10^th (19:09) and Ashton Avery (So., McKinley H.S.) grabbed 11^th place (19:11).  All four were named to the All-AMC Second Team.  In addition, Hazen was named AMC Women’s Coach of the Year.

Others who competed for the women’s team were Lindsey Pifher (Jr., Colonel Crawford H.S.) in 14^th (19:33), Gabrielle Wuensch (So., New London H.S.) in 15^th (19:37), Melissa Roth (So., Celina H.S.) in 18^th (19:44), Hannah Hartzler (Fr., Norwayne H.S.) in 21^st (19:50), Danielle Wuensch (So., New London H.S.) in 24^th (20:02), Kalie Hauenstein (Sr., Ashland H.S.) in 26^th (20:09), Becky Neitzel (So., Malvern H.S.) in 29^th (20:20), Allison Black (So., Norwich, CT) in 35^th (20:46), Paige Nagy (Fr., Rocky River H.S.) in 57^th (21:58) and Samantha Fitzpatrick (Fr., Carrolton H.S.) in 82^nd (22:52).

 

The Malone University men's and women's cross country teams, ranked first and fifth, respectively, in the NAIA, each posted victories at the Walsh University Invitational Saturday morning.  The Pioneer men tallied 19 points to easily defeat runner-up Walsh, which had 58 points, among a six-team field.  The Malone women finished with a perfect 15 points, coming in 1-2-3-4-5, to easily beat runner-up Ashland University, which totaled 84 points, in an eight-team field.

In the men's event, Hiram College and Geneva (PA) College tied for third (91 points each) while Point Park (PA) University rounded out the top five with 122 points.  In the women's meet, Walsh took third (86), Notre Dame College was fourth (109) and Ursuline College rounded out the top five (111).

For the men, Chris Sinick (Sr., Field H.S.) won the overall individual title with a time of 26:21 while Bryce Pulley (Fr., Cuyahoga Falls H.S.) took second in 26:51.  Mitch Williams (Fr., Celina H.S.) placed third overall in 27:10.  Also scoring for Malone were Kyle Randolph (Jr., Galion H.S.) in eighth (27:53) and Nate Slaughter (Fr., Cuyahoga Falls H.S.) in ninth (27:53).  Brandon Lang (Fr., New London H.S.) also competed for the team and came in 24th (29:38).

For the women, Emily Grad (Jr., Field H.S.) captured the individual title with a time of 19:01, edging teammate Ashton Avery (So., McKinley H.S.) who finished second in 19:03.  Also scoring for Malone were Sarah Hines (Sr., Northmor H.S.) in third (19:07), Lindsey Pifher (Jr., Colonel Crawford H.S.) in fourth (19:11) and Tynae Wilson (So., Ft. Wayne, IN) in fifth (19:12).  Others who competed for the team included Kalie Hauenstein (Sr., Ashland H.S.) in seventh (19:21), Erin Bauer (So., Loveland H.S.) in eighth (19:24), Melissa Roth (So., Celina H.S.) in ninth (19:27), Brynn Chaskel (Fr., Liberty Benton H.S.) in 10th (19:36), Hannah Hartzler (Fr., Norwayne H.S.) in 12th (19:52), Danielle Wuensch (So., New London H.S.) in 14th (20:07), Gabrielle Wuensch (So., New London H.S.) in 15th (20:13), Becky Neitzel (So., Malvern H.S.) in 21st (20:39), Jessica Winkler (Fr., Norwayne H.S.) in 22nd (20:41), Allison Black (So., Norwich, CT) in 24th (20:52), Kayleigh Bildstein (So., Madison H.S.) in 30th (21:02), Samantha Fitzpatrick (Fr., Carrollton H.S.) in 44th (21:51), Paige Nagy (Fr., Rocky River H.S.) in 48th (22:01), Emily Beam (So., Morgan H.S.) in 52nd (22:25) and (Malone runner not named on results report, TBA) in 55th (22:56).

  

 

The Malone University men’s cross country team, ranked #1 in the NAIA, finished second among a 19-team field at the Bowling Green State University Invitational last Saturday while the Pioneer women’s team, ranked #5 in the NAIA, placed third among its 19-team field.

The men tallied 61 points as Kent State University won the men’s team title with 39 points.  Oakland (MI) University was third (122), Eastern Michigan University came in fourth (124) and the University of Buffalo rounded out the top five (133).

The women finished with 78 points as host Bowling Green State took the women’s title with 55 points.  Kent State was second (61), Oakland placed fourth (109) and Buffalo rounded out the top five (169).

For the men, Aaron Melhorn (Jr., Fairless H.S.) posted a team-best time of 24:24.1 and earned a third-place finish overall.  James Zeuch (Jr., Galion H.S.) was close behind in seventh place overall in 24:58.3.  Also scoring for the team were Nick Meeson (Fr., Lakewood H.S.) in 11^th (25:15.2), Paul Robinson (Sr., Field H.S.) in 18^th (25:29.0) and Evan Gaynor (Sr., Delta H.S.) in 22^nd (25:41.0).  Others who ran for the varsity included Tony Migliozzi (So., St. Thomas Aquinas H.S.) in 23^rd (25:41.2) and Zach Mathias (So., Galion H.S.) in 33^rd (25:56.4).  Competing individually at the event were Jeremy Arthur (So., Medina H.S.) in 26:18.2, Bryce Pulley (Fr., Cuyahoga Falls H.S.) in 26:23.3 and Kyle Randolph (Jr., Galion H.S.) in 28:06.3.

For the women, Sarah Hines (Sr., Northmor H.S.) led the way with a fifth-place finish overall in a time of 22:28.5 followed by Rebekah Genter (Sr., Crestview H.S.) in 11^th (22:42.6).  Also scoring for the team were Tynae Wilson (So., Fort Wayne, IN) in 17^th (22:51.0), Lindsey Pifher (Jr., Colonel Crawford H.S.) in 22^nd (23:01.5) and Ashton Avery (So., McKinley H.S.) in 23^rd (23:03.1).  Others who competed for the varsity squad included Kalie Hauenstein (Sr., Ashland H.S.) in 24^th (23:06.3) and Emily Grad (Jr., Field H.S.) in 27^th (23:10.5).  Running as individuals at the event were Danielle Wuensch (So., New London H.S.) in 23:12.2, Brynn Chaskel (Fr., Liberty Benton H.S.) in 23:20.1, Melissa Roth (So., Celina H.S.) in 23:21.0, Hannah Hartzler (Fr., Norwayne H.S.) in 23:34.0, Erin Bauer (So., Loveland H.S.) in 23:50.0, Gabrielle Wuensch (So., New London H.S.) in 24:06.2, Becky Neitzel (So., Malvern H.S.) in 24:25.4, Jessica Winkler (Fr., Norwayne H.S.) in 24:44.0, Kayleigh Bildstein (So., Madison H.S.) in 25:57.0, Samantha Fitzpatrick (Fr., Carrollton H.S.) in 26:52.4, Paige Nagy (Fr., Rocky River H.S.) in 26:56.6, and Emily Beam (So., Morgan H.S.) in 27:03.6.