Michigan State University
Pre-NCAA Invitational
Women Third, Men 23rd at Cross Country Pre-Nationals
10/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Complete Women's Results in PDF Format 
Complete Men's Results in PDF Format
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Michigan State cross country teams traveled to Terre Haute, Ind. on Saturday for the NCAA Pre-National meet at Lavern Gibson Golf Course. The women had a great day, outrunning the likes of No. 4 Minnesota and No. 7 Rice to finish in third place. Junior Alissa McKaig and senior Nicole Bush both finished the 6k race in the top-12, to help the MSU women to their third straight top-three finish. Max Goldak was the top finisher for the men's side, as they struggled to keep pace with the pack, finishing 23rd overall.
The upperclassman set the pace for the Spartan women, who all finished within two minutes of one another. McKaig was the top finisher for the women, crossing the finish line ninth overall with a time of 20:35. Bush followed five seconds later, placing 12th out of the 259 runners. The next three runners for MSU finished 30 seconds apart, as Junior Lisa Senakiewich (20:59) came in 32nd overall, junior Sarah Price crossed with a time of 21:10, good for 46nd, and senior Katie Kelly (21:29) had the final time that would count for Spartans, finishing 79th overall. Not figuring into the score were Freshman Emily Langenberg (22:05, 133rd) and sophomore Ashley Casavant (22:11, 145th), who completed the seven-athlete team.
"The women raced so well today, we just stuck to the race plan, and they were diligent about their jobs, and the needs of the team," said associate head coach Rita Molis.
McKaig and Bush have been a huge boost for the women's team this season. Bush has finished in the top-12 in MSU's four races on the year, and top-five in three out of four, while McKaig has finished in the top-11 of every meet.
"I think when you are able to have athletes this talented it gives us a lot of poise, and helps the rest of the team tremendously," said coach Rita Molis. "We are so blessed to have them on our team."
The men's team put in a great effort but came up short, completing the day in 23rd place of 38 teams. Max Goldak led the way for MSU finishing the 10k race in 68th, with a time of 24:15. Junior Dustin Voss (24:47) and freshman Patrick Grosskopf (24:51) finished within four seconds of each other, coming in 118th and 130th, respectively. Senior Jim Pancoast finished 143rd (24:59), and freshman Spencer Beatty (25:06) placed 160th overall. Not counting towards the overall team score was Freshman Mike Quick, who finished 163rd with a time of 25:07.
"The men's finish was a little disappointing, but we found some things out today that we didn't know," said coach Molis. "We are a young team, we have a very solid group, and we are very close to being a real threat to other teams."
The Spartans travel to Ypsilanti, Mich. Friday, Oct. 19, to compete in the Eastern Michigan Classic.
Players Mentioned
