Cross Country Travels to Michigan Intercollegiate Championships
10/5/2011 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Oct. 5, 2011
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State cross country program returns to action this Friday, Oct. 7 for the Michigan Intercollegiate Championships hosted by Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Mich. Racing begins at the Hayden Park cross country course begins at 4 p.m.
The race allows MSU its first competition in nearly two weeks, as the program had last week off following the Roy Griak Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 24 in Minneapolis, Minn.
Where We Rank
In the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) weekly poll, the women find themselves ranked 15th after their strong performance at the Roy Griak Invitational. Regionally, the women continue to sit atop the Great Lakes Region standings while also holding the best national ranking in the Big Ten Conference. This mark's the highest ranking for the women since Nov. 18, 2008, when MSU finished the season ranked No. 13 nationally.
On the men's side, MSU is currently sixth in the USTFCCCA Great Lakes regional rankings.
Last Time Out
MSU traveled to Minneapolis, Minn., on Saturday, Sept. 24 to race in the Roy Griak Invitational for the first team-scored event of the season. Overall, the women were the top-ranked Big Ten team as they finished fourth with 148 points, while the men placed eighth with 246 points.
The men opened up the strong day for the Spartans with the Merrill Fischbein Men's Gold Competition. Leading the Green and White in the race was senior Joe Dimambro. Dimambro posted a season-best time of 24:44.7 to finish 26th overall. Junior Kevin Yarnell trailed Dimambro by less than three seconds as he finished in 24:47.1 for 31st place.
The Spartan women concluded the day in the Jack Johnson Women's Gold Competition. Freshman Julia Otwell clocked in at 21:14.5, good enough for 20th. Senior Carlie Green was the second to cross, finishing 22nd in 21:15.7.
Next Up
The Spartans will travel to Madison, Wis., on Friday, Oct. 14 for Wisconsin adidas Invitational hosted by Wisconsin. Racing begins at 2 p.m. at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course.
Players Mentioned
