Pirates Head To AAC Cross Country Championships

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina cross country program makes its way to Florida Friday, Oct. 29, for the 2021 American Athletic Conference Championships at Holloway Park in Lakeland.

The men's championship 8K is scheduled for 8 a.m. (ET)/7 a.m. (CT), with the women's championship 6K to follow at 8:50 a.m. (ET)/7:50 a.m. (CT). Live coverage of the meet will commence on ESPN+ at 7:50 a.m. (ET)/6:50 a.m. (CT).

In its most recent competition, ECU hosted the Pirate Invitational Oct. 15 at Overton's Lake Kristi. The women claimed the team title while the men finished in second place.

"Today was a good day for our women," head coach Josey Weaver said following the meet. "We got to race in very hot temperatures in preparation for the potential racing conditions at the American Athletic Conference Championships. I was proud to watch every single one of our athletes lay down their best effort. That's all you can ask as a coach. Leaving with the team title fills us with confidence heading to Tampa."

Abby Yourkavitch continued her solid season with a 6K time of 21:41, ending up in fifth place, while Lindsay Yentz took sixth by crossing the finish line in 21:56. Madeline Hill, Alyssa Zack and Jenna Strange rounded out the top-five performers, collecting times of 22:30, 22:35 and 22:38.

On the men's side, Chase Osborne and Austin Mathews finished in fifth and sixth place with 8K times of 25:02 and 25:05. They were followed close behind by Jack Dingman, Ethan Hageman and Colin McCauley who claimed 13th, 14th and 15th respectively. The group was separated by eight total seconds as they produced times of 25:32, 25:36 and 25:40.

"Our performance by the men's team echoed another step in the right direction of improvement for the season," Weaver commented. "We have had to be resilient all year battling a few injuries and minor sicknesses. We hope to line up even stronger in Tampa."

Both the men and women finished sixth in the 2020 edition of the championships, held in February of 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic.

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Players Mentioned

Jack Dingman

Ethan Hageman

Madeline Hill

Austin Mathews

Colin McCauley

Chase Osborne

Jenna Strange

Lindsay Yentz

Abby Yourkavitch

Alyssa Zack

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