The University of Akron Athletics
Friday, October 30
Kalamazoo, Mich.
11 a.m. (Women's) / 12 p.m. (Men's)
University of Akron
vs
Mid-American Conference Championships
October 29 | Cross Country
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Steady improvement has been a constant theme for Akron throughout the 2026 cross country campaign.
The message is no different for head cross country coach Tim Servis entering this year's version of the MAC Championships at The Prairies Golf Club hosted by Western Michigan.
"I think that we've seen a lot of progression in our team with the ability to compete and maturity in our athletes," Servis said. "It has been a good season for us, and we are growing. I expect to see a big jump in performance this year compared to years past. We're just trying to do better today than what we did yesterday."
On the men's side, the Zips return five runners who competed at last year's MAC Championships after placing third as a team. Noah Nyageo leads the pack after finishing in third at the conference meet in 2025. The sophomore has won two of the three meets he competed in this season and received MAC Runner of the Week honors back on October 6.
Titus Kirui is also a returner, as he finished fourth at last year's MAC Championships.
"Noah and Titus run at a very high level," Servis said. They bring a lot of race experience to the team and have built the culture up. Their hard work and practice habits resonate with the team, and we've seen a lot following their footsteps."
Emil Stanford, Majid Abuaun and Quinn Hopkins round out the returners. Servis said he has especially seen tremendous improvement from Abuaun and Hopkins throughout the year, as they are two runners that could "fly under the radar" at the meet.
The senior Abuaun came to Akron with little long distance experience but has blossomed into a solid contributor in cross country.
"He's been training harder, running more miles and putting in more work," Servis said. "It's taken time, growth and experience for him to become the runner he is. He's really blossomed into one of the better runners in the conference."
The women face steep competition, as six MAC teams are ranked in the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region coming into the meet. Toledo leads the way at No. 2 followed by the Zips (No. 6), Bowling Green (No. 7), Western Michigan (No. 9), Ohio (No. 11) and Miami (No. 14).
Despite a ninth-place finish at the MAC Championships in 2025, Mercy Jebitok took second and Megan Hipple placed 10th to earn All-MAC honors. Jebitok earned two MAC Runner of the Week awards after her only two races she competed in and finished the outdoor track season as a second-team All-American in the 10,000m.
"Mercy has always been competitive within the MAC, but she has continued to improve," Servis said. "She's much better runner than she was last year, and with the experience I think it's really helped improve their confidence. She's also been working a lot harder in becoming a complete, all-around better runner."
The senior Hipple ran her career-best 6K mark at the George Dales Invitational earlier in the year that was also held at The Prairies Golf Club.
"She's one of the most improved athletes I've seen in my career," Servis said. "I contribute that to hard work and dedication and buying into the program and what we're what we're doing here. The love for Akron and her teammates has gone a long ways, and all of that has really contributed to her growing into like a more competitive athlete."
Kayla Sucharski and Kennedy Schlessman also competed at last season's Championships. Servis has also seen much improvement from the duo and hopes they can help close the gap behind Jebitok and Hipple. Newcomer Abigael Kiplagat will make her cross country debut despite an injury as well.
Servis describes the MAC this season as one of the most competitive that he has seen on both sides. It is a conference that is on the rise both regionally and nationally, as the Toledo women's team is also ranked No. 12 in the country and third highest non-Power 4 program.
"It's much more competitive this year than it was last, and that's really good to see in the MAC," Servis said. "So, as we continue to get better, I see the other programs are continuing to get better, and it's great for competition. We're going to see teams in the future that will be at nationals, which is not always common."
Servis is in his second season at Akron after spending 15 seasons as head cross country coach at NCAA Division II Southern Arkansas and Colby Community College. He hopes to continue to build complete teams who can eventually compete for a MAC crown, as this week serves as a major stepping stone.
"The teams are going to have to run together, and they're going to have to close the gap." Servis said. "The more they close that gap, the better the score will be. It's all about having a complete team effort and everybody playing their part to continue to build the foundation for future years."
FOLLOW ALONG
Women (11 a.m.) / Men (12 p.m.)
Watch
Live Results
The message is no different for head cross country coach Tim Servis entering this year's version of the MAC Championships at The Prairies Golf Club hosted by Western Michigan.
"I think that we've seen a lot of progression in our team with the ability to compete and maturity in our athletes," Servis said. "It has been a good season for us, and we are growing. I expect to see a big jump in performance this year compared to years past. We're just trying to do better today than what we did yesterday."
On the men's side, the Zips return five runners who competed at last year's MAC Championships after placing third as a team. Noah Nyageo leads the pack after finishing in third at the conference meet in 2025. The sophomore has won two of the three meets he competed in this season and received MAC Runner of the Week honors back on October 6.
Titus Kirui is also a returner, as he finished fourth at last year's MAC Championships.
"Noah and Titus run at a very high level," Servis said. They bring a lot of race experience to the team and have built the culture up. Their hard work and practice habits resonate with the team, and we've seen a lot following their footsteps."
Emil Stanford, Majid Abuaun and Quinn Hopkins round out the returners. Servis said he has especially seen tremendous improvement from Abuaun and Hopkins throughout the year, as they are two runners that could "fly under the radar" at the meet.
The senior Abuaun came to Akron with little long distance experience but has blossomed into a solid contributor in cross country.
"He's been training harder, running more miles and putting in more work," Servis said. "It's taken time, growth and experience for him to become the runner he is. He's really blossomed into one of the better runners in the conference."
The women face steep competition, as six MAC teams are ranked in the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region coming into the meet. Toledo leads the way at No. 2 followed by the Zips (No. 6), Bowling Green (No. 7), Western Michigan (No. 9), Ohio (No. 11) and Miami (No. 14).
Despite a ninth-place finish at the MAC Championships in 2025, Mercy Jebitok took second and Megan Hipple placed 10th to earn All-MAC honors. Jebitok earned two MAC Runner of the Week awards after her only two races she competed in and finished the outdoor track season as a second-team All-American in the 10,000m.
"Mercy has always been competitive within the MAC, but she has continued to improve," Servis said. "She's much better runner than she was last year, and with the experience I think it's really helped improve their confidence. She's also been working a lot harder in becoming a complete, all-around better runner."
The senior Hipple ran her career-best 6K mark at the George Dales Invitational earlier in the year that was also held at The Prairies Golf Club.
"She's one of the most improved athletes I've seen in my career," Servis said. "I contribute that to hard work and dedication and buying into the program and what we're what we're doing here. The love for Akron and her teammates has gone a long ways, and all of that has really contributed to her growing into like a more competitive athlete."
Kayla Sucharski and Kennedy Schlessman also competed at last season's Championships. Servis has also seen much improvement from the duo and hopes they can help close the gap behind Jebitok and Hipple. Newcomer Abigael Kiplagat will make her cross country debut despite an injury as well.
Servis describes the MAC this season as one of the most competitive that he has seen on both sides. It is a conference that is on the rise both regionally and nationally, as the Toledo women's team is also ranked No. 12 in the country and third highest non-Power 4 program.
"It's much more competitive this year than it was last, and that's really good to see in the MAC," Servis said. "So, as we continue to get better, I see the other programs are continuing to get better, and it's great for competition. We're going to see teams in the future that will be at nationals, which is not always common."
Servis is in his second season at Akron after spending 15 seasons as head cross country coach at NCAA Division II Southern Arkansas and Colby Community College. He hopes to continue to build complete teams who can eventually compete for a MAC crown, as this week serves as a major stepping stone.
"The teams are going to have to run together, and they're going to have to close the gap." Servis said. "The more they close that gap, the better the score will be. It's all about having a complete team effort and everybody playing their part to continue to build the foundation for future years."
FOLLOW ALONG
Women (11 a.m.) / Men (12 p.m.)
Watch
Live Results
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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