MSU Cross Country Set for Michigan Intercollegiate
10/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Notes | Season Bests (M) | Season Bests (W) | Meet Info
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The No. 13/15 Michigan State cross country team returns to action on Friday, Oct. 9, at the Michigan Intercollegiate Championships in Hillsdale, Michigan. The 8,000-meter men's contest and 5K women's race will be held at Hayden Park, beginning with the men's competition at 4 p.m.
"We are looking mostly for behavioral patterns," said Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Walt Drenth. "We have had good training sessions, and we want to see who will be competitive and involved on the course. It doesn't matter if it's a younger or an older group; it is important that we get some momentum now. Friday will be important from that standpoint, and this is a chance for the young ones to stake a claim for a seat on the bus to Wisconsin."
The Spartans are coming off an idle week after taking first in the men's race and second in the women's competition at the Roy Griak Invite in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Sept. 26. MSU put four runners in the top 15 in the men's 8K, while the women had a pair of top-10 performances from juniors Rachele Schulist and Alexis Wiersma.
"You race and get a chance to see where you need to go to work, and then you get to really train," said Drenth about being idle following the Griak. "You get to see people develop and get healthy. Once a couple of races are under your belt, you get some perspective as a coach on what needs to be done."
Friday's meet starts a three-week stretch of consecutive races for the Spartans. MSU has had consecutive-active weekends just once this year when it hosted the Spartan Invite on Sept. 18 and then traveled to the Griak on Sept. 26.
The Michigan Intercollegiate Championships will be held at Hillsdale College's home course in Hayden Park. The course features rolling hills and a variety of terrain. The top-10 finishers of each varsity race earn All-Michigan honors.
"They always enjoy going to see who they competed against in high school," Drenth said. "This meet gives our runners from Michigan a chance to get the last word."
The Spartans are expected to send a younger group of runners, while the top group prepares for the Wisconsin Invitational next week on Oct. 16.
"This is a group that doesn't travel a lot or is coming back from injury," said Drenth. "We try, with our top people that our projected to race in the championship meets, to not over race them, and next weekend at Wisconsin is a big one for a lot of people."
Results from Friday's meet will be available at MSUspartans.com and TFRRS.org.
Players Mentioned
