Spartan Cross Country Enters Season No. 1 in Region
8/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
EAST LANSING, Michigan - The Michigan State women's cross country team begins the 2015 season as the top-ranked program in the Great Lakes Region, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Preseason Poll released on Monday. The men's side was tabbed No. 4 in the region.
The Spartan ladies welcome back four of their top-seven runners from last season's national championship team, highlighted by All-Americans Rachele Schulist and Lindsay Clark.
Schulist, a junior from Zeeland, Michigan, was MSU's top finisher at the 2014 NCAA Championships, finishing fourth with a time of 19:54.30. The fourth-place performance not only led the way for the Spartans, but was the best individual finish in program history. Schulist was runner-up at the Great Lakes Regional, crossing the line in 19:45, and earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors with a time of 19:54.40 at the conference championship.
Clark took 11th at the NCAA Championship with a time of 20:16. On top of All-America honors, Clark earned First Team All-Big Ten (4th-19:59.70) and First-Team All-Region (6th-20:06.00) distinctions. The West Bloomfield, Michigan, native placed inside the top 15 at all seven events she participated in during the 2014 season.
In 2014, MSU had four runners place inside the top-25 at the NCAA Championships. Additionally, six Spartans earned All-Big Ten honors, a new program record.
The men's team earned four All-Great Lakes Region honors, taking second with a team tally of 82 points. Senior Caleb Rhynard returns as the top Spartan, having earned All-Regional honors each of the past three seasons in addition to his All-American performance in 2013.
Juniors Sherod Hardt, a 2014 All-Great Lakes Region honoree, and Nick Soter look to step up for the loss of two all-region performers in Ben Miller and Alex Wilson. Hardt turned in a career performance at the Big Ten Championships, finishing the 8,000-meter course in 24:14.30, while Soter finished just one place out of all-region honors, clocking a 30:44.00.
The season's first national poll will be released on Tuesday, Sept. 1, by the USTFCCCA.
For the latest information on Michigan State cross country, follow the Spartans @MSUtrackfieldxc on Twitter.
Players Mentioned
