Sunday, October 28
Lincoln, Neb.
Michigan State University
at
Big Ten Championships
Farrell, McDonald Lead Women's Cross Country to Second Place at B1G Championships
10/28/2018 5:15:00 PM | Cross Country
Maggie Farrell, Erin McDonald and Justine Kiprotich earned First-Team All-Conference honors.
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Sophomore Maggie Farrell and redshirt-senior Erin McDonald both turned in personal-record 6,000-meter runs, pacing Michigan State women's cross country to a second place finish at the Big Ten Conference Championships Sunday at Mahoney Golf Course.
Redshirt-senior Justine Kiprotich smashed his career-best at the 8,000-meter cross country distance, running 23:44.2, to lead the Spartan men to a fifth-place finish as a team. Farrell, McDonald and Kiprotich all earned First-Team All-Big-Ten recognition for their performances Sunday.
RESULTS: MEN | WOMEN
Running with All-Americans in the lead pack the entire race, Farrell, the 2017 Freshman of the Year, crossed the line in 20:13.7 to come in fourth place overall. McDonald wasn't far behind, finishing with a time of 20:16.1 to take seventh place in the women's race. Redshirt-junior Jeralyn Poe, who recently returned from an injury, was the third Spartan across the line, posting a season-best 20.38.3 to finish 17th.
"I thought both Maggie and Erin raced really well and showed the confidence to run with the front group," Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Walt Drenth said. "They really put their nose in there with the top group. I thought they went out hard and managed themselves well throughout the race. I thought both of them did an outstanding job today."
Redshirt-junior Annie Fuller ran 20:42.5 to finish 20th, and senior Amber Way ran a personal-record 20:51.0 to grab 27th place. Sophomore India Johnson (20:53.3) and sophomore Jenna Magness (21:05.2) rounded out the scoring for MSU, finishing 29th and 35th, respectively. The No. 14 Spartans totaled 75 points for second place, as No. 7 Michigan took the top spot with 57 points. MSU beat three teams ranked higher in the polls, including No. 10 Indiana (110), No. 11 Wisconsin (89), and No. 13 Penn State (103).
Kiprotich, an NCAA runner-up at 1,500-meters, showed toughness in a race that featured hills at different points on the course, including a steep climb over the final 150-meters to the finish line. Running with the front group from the gun, Kiprotich was in third place with less than 1,000 meters to go and stayed strong through the finish line to come in sixth.Redshirt-junior Matthew Thomas was the second MSU runner across the line, posting a season-best 24:06.8 to finish 15th, just barely missing All-Conference recognition.
"There's no question that was his (Kiprotich) best competitive effort since he's been in college," Drenth said. "He rubbed shoulders with some really good guys, and I thought he handled himself really well. Matt Thomas was outstanding in what was only his second Big Ten Championship. That was great to see."
Sophomore Joe Riordan ran 24:20.9 to finish 23rd and also turn in a season-best time. Redshirt-sophomore Brayden Law (24:35.7) finished 33rd and redshirt-junior Winter Romeyn (24:36.9) took 34th. Redshirt-seniors' Brian Kettle (44th) and Dan Sims (45th) both ran 24:46.4 to finish the Spartans' scoring.
The men tallied 111 points, finishing just two points behind fourth place No. 27 Michigan (109), and three points short of third place Illinois (108). No. 3 Wisconsin won the team title with 38 points, while No. 18 Purdue came in second, totaling 88 points.
"I liked our effort on both sides," Drenth said. "Our character and effort have been phenomenal all year with both genders. The men have rose to the occasion after losing a couple guys, and to be that close to third place bodes well for the regionals."
Up Next: The Spartans travel to Terre Haute, Indiana, for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Friday, Nov. 9.
Redshirt-senior Justine Kiprotich smashed his career-best at the 8,000-meter cross country distance, running 23:44.2, to lead the Spartan men to a fifth-place finish as a team. Farrell, McDonald and Kiprotich all earned First-Team All-Big-Ten recognition for their performances Sunday.
RESULTS: MEN | WOMEN
Running with All-Americans in the lead pack the entire race, Farrell, the 2017 Freshman of the Year, crossed the line in 20:13.7 to come in fourth place overall. McDonald wasn't far behind, finishing with a time of 20:16.1 to take seventh place in the women's race. Redshirt-junior Jeralyn Poe, who recently returned from an injury, was the third Spartan across the line, posting a season-best 20.38.3 to finish 17th.
"I thought both Maggie and Erin raced really well and showed the confidence to run with the front group," Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Walt Drenth said. "They really put their nose in there with the top group. I thought they went out hard and managed themselves well throughout the race. I thought both of them did an outstanding job today."
Redshirt-junior Annie Fuller ran 20:42.5 to finish 20th, and senior Amber Way ran a personal-record 20:51.0 to grab 27th place. Sophomore India Johnson (20:53.3) and sophomore Jenna Magness (21:05.2) rounded out the scoring for MSU, finishing 29th and 35th, respectively. The No. 14 Spartans totaled 75 points for second place, as No. 7 Michigan took the top spot with 57 points. MSU beat three teams ranked higher in the polls, including No. 10 Indiana (110), No. 11 Wisconsin (89), and No. 13 Penn State (103).
Kiprotich, an NCAA runner-up at 1,500-meters, showed toughness in a race that featured hills at different points on the course, including a steep climb over the final 150-meters to the finish line. Running with the front group from the gun, Kiprotich was in third place with less than 1,000 meters to go and stayed strong through the finish line to come in sixth.Redshirt-junior Matthew Thomas was the second MSU runner across the line, posting a season-best 24:06.8 to finish 15th, just barely missing All-Conference recognition.
"There's no question that was his (Kiprotich) best competitive effort since he's been in college," Drenth said. "He rubbed shoulders with some really good guys, and I thought he handled himself really well. Matt Thomas was outstanding in what was only his second Big Ten Championship. That was great to see."
Sophomore Joe Riordan ran 24:20.9 to finish 23rd and also turn in a season-best time. Redshirt-sophomore Brayden Law (24:35.7) finished 33rd and redshirt-junior Winter Romeyn (24:36.9) took 34th. Redshirt-seniors' Brian Kettle (44th) and Dan Sims (45th) both ran 24:46.4 to finish the Spartans' scoring.
The men tallied 111 points, finishing just two points behind fourth place No. 27 Michigan (109), and three points short of third place Illinois (108). No. 3 Wisconsin won the team title with 38 points, while No. 18 Purdue came in second, totaling 88 points.
"I liked our effort on both sides," Drenth said. "Our character and effort have been phenomenal all year with both genders. The men have rose to the occasion after losing a couple guys, and to be that close to third place bodes well for the regionals."
Up Next: The Spartans travel to Terre Haute, Indiana, for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Friday, Nov. 9.
Players Mentioned
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