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YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The Eastern Michigan University women's cross country team will head to Three Rivers, Mich. for the 2010 Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships this Saturday, Oct. 30, as they look to claim their first MAC title in program history.

In 2009, the Eagles scored 157 points en route to a sixth place finish at the MAC championships. Courtney Calka (Livonia, Mich.-Stevenson) earned first team All-MAC accolades after she recorded an impressive sixth place overall finish time of 22:35.6 in her first conference championship. Beverly Elcock (Ft. Wayne, Ind.-Northrop) also performed well with a 22nd place finish, posting a time of 23:30.0 for the Eagles.

"Last year we made a strong move up from 10th the year before to finish 6th out of 12 teams,” said Head Coach Sue Parks. “We are a much-improved team this fall, but the women's field is deeper this year. We still hope to improve on last year's finish and continue to build for the future.”

This season's schedule has offered an advantage for the Eagles heading into this weekend, as the Green and White previously raced on the MAC Championship course at Pine View Golf Club in the George Dales Invitational on Sept. 17.

“We have a good feeling going into this meet,” said Parks. “We had our very best team performance of the year on the MAC course earlier this season. We feel that the course is well suited for our team, and we are ready to compete hard and have a total team performance on Saturday.”

Ready to compete for the title is sophomore Courtney Calka, who has not only paced the Eagles in every race this season, but she has proved to be a dominant force for the Green and White, taking first in three races this year along with being named MAC Runner of the Week on Oct. 13. She also boasts a course record at the Pine View Golf Course after putting up a time of 20:48.20 in the 6,000-meter race at the George Dales, leaving much promise for EMU heading into Saturday's big race.

Parks has high expectations for Calka, but adds that the quest for the individual MAC title will feature some challenging competition. Toledo's Ari Fisher is the defending champion as well as this year's favorite. Ohio Unversity's Annie Beachum and Kari Summers were the one and two finishers in 2008, while Rachel Patterson of Miami and Kim Lorenz of Akron have also had strong seasons. Ali Bishel of Ball State returns as well after a runner-up performance in 2007 and was also an NCAA qualifier last season.

“It will be exciting to see her compete with the many outstanding individuals in the conference this year,” said Parks. “She has proven her toughness against national level competition this season, and she will be ready to compete hard for a high place on Saturday."

Calka will not be the only one having an impact on Saturday afternoon. Morgan Churchwell (Ada, Mich.- Forest Hills Central) has had some impressive performances in 2010 and should be a contributor at the conference championships as well. She recorded a time of 22:22.0 at the highly competitive Penn State Invitational on Oct. 16 putting her 70th in a field of 303 participants.

Teammate Natalie Webb (Allen Park, Mich.-Woodhaven) will bring experience to this year's championships. This marks her third attempt at the title, with a 25th place finish in 2008 and a 36th place finish last season. She has also helped the Eagles at both the Michigan Open (Sept. 3) and the Michigan Intercollegiate (Oct. 8) when she finished 13th and 9th, respectively.

Saturday will mark the final conference championship try for Lauren Quaintance (White Lake, Mich.-Walled Lake Northern) who looks to lead her team to its first title. Senior Beverly Elcock will be sidelined due to injury. They represent two of only four upperclassmen on the roster, as EMU's squad is predominantly consisted of freshmen and sophomores.

“We have an incredibly young team competing in this year's meet,” said Parks. “The athletes are still adjusting to the training load, but I feel that if we can put it all together, we are capable of moving up in the MAC standings.”

The 2010 Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championships will be hosted by Western Michigan University at the Pine View Golf Course in Three Rivers, Mich. The championships will begin with the women's 6,000-meter run at 11 a.m., followed by the men's 8,000-meter run at Noon.