Michigan State Set To Compete In Great Lakes Regional Championships

Nov. 8, 2007

GREAT LAKES REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Michigan State Spartans travel to Bloomington, Ind. on Saturday to compete in the Great Lakes Regional Championships, hosted by Indiana University. The Michigan State men are scheduled to begin their 10K race at 11 a.m., with the No. 8 Michigan State women following shortly with the 6K race, starting at 12:15 p.m. The meet will be held at the Indiana Cross Country Course.

LAST YEAR

The women's team ran to a first place finish at last year's Great Lakes Regional Championships. Alissa McKaig finished in second place for the Spartans, coming in with a time of 21:00.26. The men's team placed fourth at last year's meet, as Adam Sprangel, the top finisher to return in 2007, came in 29th, with a time of 31:59.17.

THUS FAR

Ranked as No. 1 in the Great Lakes Region, the MSU women's team has had an impressive start to the season. The Spartans have finished third in the first two team-scored events of the season, and finished second at the Big Ten Championships, where MSU missed first place by a mere point, to the Minnesota Gophers, 72-73. Nicole Bush was the top Spartan finisher, coming in with a time of 19:49.38, placing second, and recording her fourth top-five finish in five races this season. Alissa McKaig finished in eighth place with a season-best time of 19:49.38, her fourth top-10 finish in five races this fall. Lisa Senakiewich finished in 12th place (20:26.05), crossing the finish line in the top-12 in three of five races this year.. The Bush-McKaig-Senakiewich trio has finished one-two-three in four of five events for the Spartans in 2007, and received All-Big Ten Team honors. Bush took home first-team accolades, while McKaig and Senakiewich were selected to the second team.

The men's team had a good start to the year, finishing in eighth-place at the Roy Griak Invitational, but look to rebound after a 23rd-place finish at the Pre-Nationals and a seventh-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. Dustin Voss was the top finisher at the Big Ten Championships, coming in at 24:59.42 and placing 40th overall.

GREAT LAKES REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY

The Spartans have crowned three individual regional champions in the history of MSU. Anne Pewe and Karen Campbell-Lutzke finished tied for first at the 1981 regional event, with a time of 17.45*. The third was Misty Allison in 1991, finishing with a time of 18:16.4*. The MSU women have seen three regional team trophies in the history of Michigan State (1981,2001,2006). The men's team has never finished higher than third place in the regional meet.

* In 2000, the women's race distance was changed from 5K to 6K.

UP NEXT

Michigan State prepares for the NCAA Championships, held in Terre Haute, Ind., on Monday, Nov. 19.