Friday, October 19
Pinkney, Mich.
Michigan State University
at
EMU Classic
Spartans Post Top Times at EMU Classic
10/19/2018 7:53:00 PM | Cross Country
MSU cross country closed the regular season Friday.
DEXTER, Mich. -- Michigan State cross country raced to top times Friday in the EMU Classic at Hudson Mills Metropark, wrapping up the regular season before the Big Ten Championships Sunday, Oct. 28 in Lincoln, Neb.
Friday's race gave the Spartans a chance to let younger runners from both sides cover the 5,000-meter course, and allow others one final race at the longer distance before transitioning to the shorter races for track season. The Spartans' top cross country runners rested for the championship season that begins next week.
"I think we saw an honest effort from a group of athletes representing Michigan State University really well, with a lot of potential for the future on both sides," MSU associate head coach for distance Lisa Senakiewich said. "We have a lot of young talent up front on both sides."
RESULTS: OVERALL | MEN | WOMEN
The Spartan men finished first as team with 15 points, sweeping the top five spots, and running away from second place and host Eastern Michigan, who tallied 45 points. MSU redshirt-sophomore Avery Felty took medalist honors individually, crossing the line in 15:44.1.
Racing as a pack, the other Spartan runners weren't far behind. Freshman John Petruno (15:46.0) finished second, and redshirt-senior Andrew O'Connor ran a personal-best 15:47.2 to take third. Redshirt-sophomore Zac Wright-Fisher (15:49.2) was fourth, and redshirt-sophomore Nick Hirschenberger (15:54.8) finished fifth.
MSU's women finished second overall as a team, totaling 42 points. Michigan took first in the team scores with 15 points. Redshirt-sophomore Nicole Hanson was the top Spartan finisher, taking sixth with a time of 18:02.0.
She was followed by a group of seniors, starting with Lauren Jenkins, who finished seventh in 18:05.9. Bailey Johnson (18:06.3) was eighth, Jenny Rogers (18:09.6) took ninth, and Jessica Goethals finished 12th with a time of 18:32.0.
"Some of our top finishers were redshirted athletes, so that was really nice to see," Senakiewich said. "We also saw leadership from some of our upperclassmen who were most likely running in their final cross country race. Seeing them go out on a positive note was great to see. Jess Goethals and Jenny Rogers are two women who have done a tremendous job at MSU, and have battled through minor setbacks this summer. Even though the cards they were dealt during the summer weren't the greatest, it was nice to see them get out there, be leaders for us, and see the season through."
Notes: Freshman Fraser WIlson and freshman Abdi Ahmed ran unattached on the men's side, coming in third and seventh overall. Freshman Katie Osika (fourth) freshman Makayla Perez (eighth) and freshman Melanie Helder (17th) ran unattached on the women's side. Unattached runners scores don't count towards official standings or points.
Up Next: The championship season begins next week, with the Big Ten Championships set to take place Oct. 28 in Lincoln, Neb.
Friday's race gave the Spartans a chance to let younger runners from both sides cover the 5,000-meter course, and allow others one final race at the longer distance before transitioning to the shorter races for track season. The Spartans' top cross country runners rested for the championship season that begins next week.
"I think we saw an honest effort from a group of athletes representing Michigan State University really well, with a lot of potential for the future on both sides," MSU associate head coach for distance Lisa Senakiewich said. "We have a lot of young talent up front on both sides."
RESULTS: OVERALL | MEN | WOMEN
The Spartan men finished first as team with 15 points, sweeping the top five spots, and running away from second place and host Eastern Michigan, who tallied 45 points. MSU redshirt-sophomore Avery Felty took medalist honors individually, crossing the line in 15:44.1.
Racing as a pack, the other Spartan runners weren't far behind. Freshman John Petruno (15:46.0) finished second, and redshirt-senior Andrew O'Connor ran a personal-best 15:47.2 to take third. Redshirt-sophomore Zac Wright-Fisher (15:49.2) was fourth, and redshirt-sophomore Nick Hirschenberger (15:54.8) finished fifth.
MSU's women finished second overall as a team, totaling 42 points. Michigan took first in the team scores with 15 points. Redshirt-sophomore Nicole Hanson was the top Spartan finisher, taking sixth with a time of 18:02.0.
She was followed by a group of seniors, starting with Lauren Jenkins, who finished seventh in 18:05.9. Bailey Johnson (18:06.3) was eighth, Jenny Rogers (18:09.6) took ninth, and Jessica Goethals finished 12th with a time of 18:32.0.
"Some of our top finishers were redshirted athletes, so that was really nice to see," Senakiewich said. "We also saw leadership from some of our upperclassmen who were most likely running in their final cross country race. Seeing them go out on a positive note was great to see. Jess Goethals and Jenny Rogers are two women who have done a tremendous job at MSU, and have battled through minor setbacks this summer. Even though the cards they were dealt during the summer weren't the greatest, it was nice to see them get out there, be leaders for us, and see the season through."
Notes: Freshman Fraser WIlson and freshman Abdi Ahmed ran unattached on the men's side, coming in third and seventh overall. Freshman Katie Osika (fourth) freshman Makayla Perez (eighth) and freshman Melanie Helder (17th) ran unattached on the women's side. Unattached runners scores don't count towards official standings or points.
Up Next: The championship season begins next week, with the Big Ten Championships set to take place Oct. 28 in Lincoln, Neb.
Players Mentioned
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/ Cross Country
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