Alissa McKaig Named Big Ten Runner Of The Week

Michigan State sophomore Alissa McKaig was named Big Ten Runner Of The Week.

9/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country

Sept. 5, 2006

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State sophomore Alissa McKaig was named Big Ten Runner Of The Week, as announced by the conference office on Sept. 5. McKaig is the first women's cross country runner to earn the weekly honor for MSU since Danette Doetzel in 2004.

In McKaig's first outing as a Spartan, the Baylor transfer made an immediate impact for MSU, leading the pack with a first-place finish at the Jeff Drenth Memorial (Sept. 1) with a 5,000-meter time of 17:10. McKaig's race marked the first time Michigan State has had a first-place finisher since Doetzel captured the 2004 Spartan Invitational title.

A Fort Wayne, Ind., native, McKaig spent last season at Baylor, where she placed 189th at the NCAA Championships and 46th at the Big 12 Championships. A three-time all-state selection in high school for Concordia Lutheran, McKaig earned an Indiana state cross country title, as well as a state track and field title in the one-mile run her senior year.