BRIDGEWATER, Va. --- Bridgewater College has proven to be the home for the ODAC cross country championship trophies for the past two seasons, and now the event itself is headed to 300-acre campus just outside of Harrisonburg. The Eagles welcome each of the conference's cross country programs to the grounds at Bridgewater for the 2015 men's and women's championships in what will undoubtedly be a pair of hotly contested races.
Continuing the conference's tradition of alternative start times from year-to-year, the women's six-kilometer event begins with the gun at 11:00 a.m., followed by the men's eight-kilometer race at 12:00 p.m. Timing will be provided by Blue Ridge Timing and posted to the results site as soon as each race concludes.
Meet Information (including race maps and parking)
Bridgewater combined for 10 All-ODAC performances in winning the 2014 conference titles, including seven of the top-13 finishers on the way to a 26-point victory over Eastern Mennonite University in the men's race. On the women's side, the margin of the Eagles' victory over the second place Royals was half as large, but three wearing crimson and gold earned All-ODAC First Team distinction, including two-time defending individual champion Kaylee Kubisiak.
Kubisiak is back again as she looks to become just the second women's runner to capture three titles and the only one to do it in consecutive seasons. Former EMU standout Sarah Witmer won the ODAC's inaugural women's race in 1986, and followed that with victories in 1988 and 1989. Kubisiak will have fellow 2014 first teamer Makenzie McDonald as expected lead-pack runners. Those two, along with Lauren Johnson, Danielle Crist and Emily Mellman, hope to lead Bridgewater to its fourth overall conference crown.
There will certainly be plenty of challengers for first position, both individually and in the team ranks. EMU boasts a pair of national caliber runners in Hannah Chappel-Dick and Kat Lehman, who finished second and third, respectively, last season. Chappell-Dick has had a banner campaign, winning three times during the regular season schedule, while Lehman joined Kubisiak at the 2014 NCAA Division III National Championships. The Washington and Lee University trio of Samantha Yates, Maggie Seybold and Rachel Steffen -- who posted a second-team performance last year -- will also push the leaders. Roanoke College duo Caity Ashley and Keri Dalton earned first and second team honors, while EMU's Jolee Paden and Emory & Henry College's Meg Greene look to maintain, if not improve upon, their positions in the top-14.
On the men's side, former second team finisher Trey Gibson leads an Eagles group that includes Robert Hiegel, Wyatt Campbell and Nevin Heckman. Connor Maguder earned a second team spot last year and will help Bridgewater's push towards a third overall league title.
Washington and Lee's Ian McDonald opened some eyes with his triumphant performance in 2014. He's back bidding for a repeat outing, with teammates Levi Warring -- a national competitor last year -- Mac Strehler and Cooper Baird challenging not only challenging individually, but joining McDonald in a quest for the team crown. Roanoke standout Harrison Toney has been on a tear all season, building off of last year's ODAC runner-up performance and a strong showing at the D3 championships to three race victories in four starts this season. EMU's Alec Thibodeaux has his eyes set on a first team showing, while Anthony McBride leads a strong group of runners from Lynchburg College.
For more information on ODAC cross country and the 2015 championships, visit the websites of any of the participating schools. You can also visit the home of the ODAC on the Internet at www.odaconline.com and view the ODAC cross country championship website. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter.