Cross Country Travels to Lincoln For Big Ten Championships

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State cross country begins the championship season Sunday, Oct. 28 with the Big Ten Championships at Mahoney Golf Course in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The women's 6,000-meter race begins at 11:45 a.m. (ET), with the men's 8,000-meter run to follow at 12:45 p.m.

One of the most competitive conferences in the country from top to bottom, Sunday's field will be stacked on both sides with teams ranked in the USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll. The women's race includes No. 7 Michigan, No. 10 Indiana, No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 13 Penn State, No. 14 Michigan State and No. 21 Minnesota. The men's race will have No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 18 Purdue, No. 22 Indiana, No. 27 Michigan and Michigan State, who is the top team receiving votes.

In a season that has included nagging injuries on both the men's and women's teams, the Spartans look to be getting people back to full speed at the right time.

"It's been one thing after another this year at times with injuries; we're finally starting to get relatively healthy," MSU Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Walt Drenth said. "I think the women are in a pretty good frame of mind and the guys have been able to sustain some good training. Our energy has been good."

The men's team finished second at the Big Tens in both 2016 at Falcon Heights, Minnesota, and 2017 in Bloomington, Indiana, with the women placing fifth the last two years. Sunday's races mark the first time Lincoln, Nebraska has hosted the Big Ten Championships. The MSU men are tied for second in conference history with Indiana, claiming 14 B1G titles. The Spartan women are third in Big Ten history with six conference championships.

The Spartans are coming off first and second place finishes from the men and women, respectively, at the EMU Classic on Oct. 19. The race allowed younger runners to compete, and others got a chance at a final longer cross country run before transitioning to the shorter distances on the track. Redshirt-sophomore Avery Felty crossed the line first in the 5k race on the men's side in 15:44.1, while redshirt-sophomore Nicole Hanson was the top Spartan finisher for the women, finishing sixth in 18:02.

After seeing several ranked teams at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on Sept. 28, and others at the Penn State National Open on Oct. 12, the Spartans' schedule has prepared them for the quality and depth of the championship season races.

"We've been refining and putting pieces together all season to be as good as we can be when this time of year comes around," Drenth said. "We always want to be in the top half of the conference, and it's loaded on the women's side, with the men's side also being very good. I think our women can be in the top couple of teams, and for the men it's been about consistency. I'm excited about both groups going into Sunday."

The Big Ten Cross Country Championships will be televised live on BTN Plus and FloSports beginning at 11:45 a.m. (ET). The meet will also be televised on BTN at 8 p.m. (ET) Monday.

Following the Big Ten Championships, MSU travels to Terre Haute, Indiana, for the NCAA Great Lakes Regionals on Nov. 9.

Cross Country Travels to Lincoln For Big Ten Championships

Players Mentioned

Avery Felty

Nicole Hanson

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