Men’s Cross Country Captures First MAC Championship in Program History

November 5, 2024 | Athletics, News, UToday, Alumni
By Jordyn Prok



Freshman Dominic Serem’s first-place finish helped the Toledo capture its first-ever Mid-American Conference Men’s Cross Country Championship in Muncie, Indiana on Saturday.

The race was extremely tight, as the Rockets finished with 49 points, just two points ahead of second-place Miami’s 51. Saturday’s result breaks a three-year streak in which Toledo finished as the runner-up in the conference championship race.

Group photo of Toledo Men's Cross Country team celebrating as they pose for the photo after they won their first MAC Championship in program history.

The Toledo Men’s Cross Country team captured its first-ever Mid-American Conference Men’s Cross Country Championship in Muncie, Indiana on Saturday.

Serem took the 8K race title with a final mark of 23:20.28, becoming just the second-ever individual champion from Toledo after teammate Dennis Mutai won the conference individual title last year.

Sophomore Joad Martinho took fifth overall with a time of 24:07.80 while junior Joshuah Taylor placed 12th (24:40.65), freshman Loann Belivet took 14th (24:46.68) and senior Geoff Howles recorded a 17th-place finish (24:46.68) for Toledo’s 49 points.

Associate Head Coach Tito Medrano was named MAC Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year for the second-straight season. Serem and Martinho each earned a spot on First Team All-MAC while Brelivet and Taylor were named to the Second Team All-MAC.

“We’ve always wanted to make sure that we were team-oriented and I think that’s what happened today,” said Medrano. “We had really team-oriented guys come together, and they ran hard for one another. We continually looked to get better every single race. Anytime we have a setback during the season we make sure to capitalize on it. I am so happy for the team as they put it all together. We stayed resilient even when we ran into a little bit of trouble, and we were able to overcome that today.

“If you’re winning a conference title, no matter what, it’s a huge deal. This is a great moment for our university and our athletic department. To win both championships, on the men’s and the women’s side, is incredibly special thing and has never been done in Toledo history. I am so proud of our athletes who continue to put in the work.”

Toledo continues the championship portion of its season as the Rockets head to the NCAA Great Lakes Regional race hosted by Akron on Friday, Nov. 15.