Saturday, November 17
Madison, Wis.
Michigan State University
at
NCAA CHampionships
Women’s Cross Country Travels To Madison For NCAA Championships
11/16/2018 3:25:00 PM | Cross Country
The No. 12 Spartans are looking to put it all together in the last race of the season.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- No. 12 Michigan State women's cross country closes the season Saturday at the NCAA Championships on the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison, Wisconsin.
Saturday's 6,000-meter race begins at 11:45 a.m. (ET) and will be followed by the men's championship race at 12:45 p.m. (ET).
The Spartans are coming off a third-place finish at the Great Lakes Regional, Nov. 9, in Terre Haute, Indiana, after placing second at the Big Ten Championships on Oct. 28 in Lincoln, Nebraska.
MSU is looking to put together a complete performance at the right time of the year after coming close in first two legs of the championship season.
"I think we just need to be committed one through seven," Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Walt Drenth said. "Our top three have been pretty consistent throughout the season. Once we got JP (Jeralyn Poe) back, I'd say our top four have been pretty consistent in terms of their approach and expectations. We've seen at practice daily from whoever runs our fifth, sixth, and seventh, that they're capable of training with anyone in that group. They just need to be more assertive early."
Redshirt-junior Annie Fuller (20:41) led the Spartans by coming in fifth place as MSU tallied 89 points. Fuller turned in a strong final 1,000-meters, passing eight runners before crossing the line with her best finish since returning from injury this season. The Green and White finished seven points behind runner-up No. 11 Wisconsin as No. 7 Michigan took home the Regional title with a score of 46 points.
Sophomore Maggie Farrell and redshirt-senior Erin McDonald have been strong from the start of the season, leading the team and pushing their teammates. Both runners were named First-Team All-Big Ten after each posted personal-record times at the Big Ten Championships to place fourth and seventh overall, respectively. The Spartans finished with 75 points, runner-up to just the Wolverines, who scored 57.
The Spartans have the benefit of seeing the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in the past, not only earlier this season at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, but also in recent years as Madison hosted Regionals.
"Having a sense of the course, and for most of us, we've run this course four or five times," Drenth said. "It certainly won't hurt us, and we didn't have Jeralyn in September at the Nuttycombe, so that will be a positive boost for us for sure."
Drenth has turned the MSU cross country program into one of the top in the country. The Spartan women's team has qualified for Nationals every year under Drenth since he was named director in 2006.
"It says a lot about the kids who have come here and their wanting to compete at the national level," Drenth said. "It speaks to the tradition the previous coaches had started, coach Jim Stintzi and his staff. Michigan State is a world class place, so the idea we should be routinely part of National Championships is something I think we should expect."
Saturday's NCAA Championships will be carried live on FloTrack and results will be posted to msuspartans.com at the conclusion of the races.
Saturday's 6,000-meter race begins at 11:45 a.m. (ET) and will be followed by the men's championship race at 12:45 p.m. (ET).
The Spartans are coming off a third-place finish at the Great Lakes Regional, Nov. 9, in Terre Haute, Indiana, after placing second at the Big Ten Championships on Oct. 28 in Lincoln, Nebraska.
MSU is looking to put together a complete performance at the right time of the year after coming close in first two legs of the championship season.
"I think we just need to be committed one through seven," Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Walt Drenth said. "Our top three have been pretty consistent throughout the season. Once we got JP (Jeralyn Poe) back, I'd say our top four have been pretty consistent in terms of their approach and expectations. We've seen at practice daily from whoever runs our fifth, sixth, and seventh, that they're capable of training with anyone in that group. They just need to be more assertive early."
Redshirt-junior Annie Fuller (20:41) led the Spartans by coming in fifth place as MSU tallied 89 points. Fuller turned in a strong final 1,000-meters, passing eight runners before crossing the line with her best finish since returning from injury this season. The Green and White finished seven points behind runner-up No. 11 Wisconsin as No. 7 Michigan took home the Regional title with a score of 46 points.
Sophomore Maggie Farrell and redshirt-senior Erin McDonald have been strong from the start of the season, leading the team and pushing their teammates. Both runners were named First-Team All-Big Ten after each posted personal-record times at the Big Ten Championships to place fourth and seventh overall, respectively. The Spartans finished with 75 points, runner-up to just the Wolverines, who scored 57.
The Spartans have the benefit of seeing the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in the past, not only earlier this season at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, but also in recent years as Madison hosted Regionals.
"Having a sense of the course, and for most of us, we've run this course four or five times," Drenth said. "It certainly won't hurt us, and we didn't have Jeralyn in September at the Nuttycombe, so that will be a positive boost for us for sure."
Drenth has turned the MSU cross country program into one of the top in the country. The Spartan women's team has qualified for Nationals every year under Drenth since he was named director in 2006.
"It says a lot about the kids who have come here and their wanting to compete at the national level," Drenth said. "It speaks to the tradition the previous coaches had started, coach Jim Stintzi and his staff. Michigan State is a world class place, so the idea we should be routinely part of National Championships is something I think we should expect."
Saturday's NCAA Championships will be carried live on FloTrack and results will be posted to msuspartans.com at the conclusion of the races.
Players Mentioned
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/ Cross Country
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