Friday, November 15
Madison, Wis.
12:30 PM (ET) / 1:30 PM (ET)
Michigan State University
vs
NCAA Great Lakes Regional
Spartan Cross Country Set for NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Friday
11/13/2019 3:01:00 PM | Cross Country
Both Spartan teams are looking for bids to the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana next week.
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State cross country continues the championship season at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Friday, Nov. 15, at the Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison, Wisconsin.
MEET CENTRAL | LIVE RESULTS | FLOTRACK
The women's 6k race begins at 12:30 p.m. ET, while the men's 10k race will follow at 1:30 p.m. ET. This will be the first 10,000-meter race for the Spartan men this season.
Both the men's and women's teams are competing to advance to the NCAA Championships next weekend. The top two team finishers on both sides will receive automatic berths to the 2019 NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana, on Saturday, Nov. 23. At-large bids will be determined after the conclusion of all Division I Regionals.
"I don't think our approach changes at all; I think we just go into the meet and just try to be the best version of us and let the chips fall where they fall," Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Walt Drenth said. "I have no doubt that we will be incredibly competitive; I have no doubt that their expectations will be high. I have no doubt that they'll make good decisions every chance they get."
The Spartan women, who are coming off a Big Ten Championship title two weeks ago in Columbus, Ohio, moved up three spots to No. 6 overall in the latest USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll and moved up two spots to No. 1 in the Great Lakes Region. This is the highest overall and regional ranking for MSU since the 2016 season.
Michigan State won its seventh Big Ten title and fifth championship since 2010. The Spartans tallied 56 points in the women's 6k, surpassing both Wisconsin and Michigan. The No. 7 Badgers placed second with 62 points, while the No. 8 Wolverines came in third with 88 points.
"We ran really well (at the Big Ten Championships). So I think from that standpoint their confidence is high because I think they recognize that if we run that well the next couple of weeks, it's going to go really well," Drenth said.
The depth of the Spartan women's team, which has been evident all season, was on display on the conference's biggest stage, with all five scoring runners placing in the top-16. Senior Annie Fuller was the top-finisher for the women with a third place finish, clocking in at 20:16.1, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors.
Senior Jeralyn Poe and junior India Johnson captured second-team All-Big Ten honors after finishing in eighth and 14th place, respectively.
On the men's side, junior Morgan Beadlescomb led the Spartans to a seventh place team finish, as he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors with a third-place finish, clocking in at 24:01.8.
The Spartan women are joined by five other ranked teams, including familiar Big Ten foes No. 7 Wisconsin, No. 11 Michigan and No. 20 Ohio State, in addition to No. 16 Notre Dame and No. 24 Butler.
The men's field also features five ranked teams, with Big Ten Champion No. 9 Wisconsin, No. 13 Indiana, No. 16 Michigan, No. 17 Purdue and No. 19 Notre Dame, in a race that goes to a longer 10k distance.
"The race is a little bit different, especially at the Regional meet. It tends to be a little more conservative in the early stages of the race," Drenth said. "They still feel like they haven't seen the best versions of themselves, and I feel that they are accurate in that. I'm confident that they're going to go to the Regional meet and race their tails off."
The Spartans are familiar with the Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course, as this will be the second take at the course this season. Earlier this season, the Spartans traveled to Madison for the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, where the women placed fifth and the men placed 25th among the nation's best cross country teams.
"I think we're a little more refined. I feel like we are probably getting a better sense of who we are and the sequence of races are a little better," Drenth said. "We're just going to go there and try to be the best version of us. I think we'll be better and better rested. We have a little better idea of who our top group is. I think all those things have come in focus a little bit."
MEET CENTRAL | LIVE RESULTS | FLOTRACK
The women's 6k race begins at 12:30 p.m. ET, while the men's 10k race will follow at 1:30 p.m. ET. This will be the first 10,000-meter race for the Spartan men this season.
Both the men's and women's teams are competing to advance to the NCAA Championships next weekend. The top two team finishers on both sides will receive automatic berths to the 2019 NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana, on Saturday, Nov. 23. At-large bids will be determined after the conclusion of all Division I Regionals.
"I don't think our approach changes at all; I think we just go into the meet and just try to be the best version of us and let the chips fall where they fall," Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Walt Drenth said. "I have no doubt that we will be incredibly competitive; I have no doubt that their expectations will be high. I have no doubt that they'll make good decisions every chance they get."
The Spartan women, who are coming off a Big Ten Championship title two weeks ago in Columbus, Ohio, moved up three spots to No. 6 overall in the latest USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll and moved up two spots to No. 1 in the Great Lakes Region. This is the highest overall and regional ranking for MSU since the 2016 season.
Michigan State won its seventh Big Ten title and fifth championship since 2010. The Spartans tallied 56 points in the women's 6k, surpassing both Wisconsin and Michigan. The No. 7 Badgers placed second with 62 points, while the No. 8 Wolverines came in third with 88 points.
"We ran really well (at the Big Ten Championships). So I think from that standpoint their confidence is high because I think they recognize that if we run that well the next couple of weeks, it's going to go really well," Drenth said.
The depth of the Spartan women's team, which has been evident all season, was on display on the conference's biggest stage, with all five scoring runners placing in the top-16. Senior Annie Fuller was the top-finisher for the women with a third place finish, clocking in at 20:16.1, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors.
Senior Jeralyn Poe and junior India Johnson captured second-team All-Big Ten honors after finishing in eighth and 14th place, respectively.
On the men's side, junior Morgan Beadlescomb led the Spartans to a seventh place team finish, as he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors with a third-place finish, clocking in at 24:01.8.
The Spartan women are joined by five other ranked teams, including familiar Big Ten foes No. 7 Wisconsin, No. 11 Michigan and No. 20 Ohio State, in addition to No. 16 Notre Dame and No. 24 Butler.
The men's field also features five ranked teams, with Big Ten Champion No. 9 Wisconsin, No. 13 Indiana, No. 16 Michigan, No. 17 Purdue and No. 19 Notre Dame, in a race that goes to a longer 10k distance.
"The race is a little bit different, especially at the Regional meet. It tends to be a little more conservative in the early stages of the race," Drenth said. "They still feel like they haven't seen the best versions of themselves, and I feel that they are accurate in that. I'm confident that they're going to go to the Regional meet and race their tails off."
The Spartans are familiar with the Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course, as this will be the second take at the course this season. Earlier this season, the Spartans traveled to Madison for the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, where the women placed fifth and the men placed 25th among the nation's best cross country teams.
"I think we're a little more refined. I feel like we are probably getting a better sense of who we are and the sequence of races are a little better," Drenth said. "We're just going to go there and try to be the best version of us. I think we'll be better and better rested. We have a little better idea of who our top group is. I think all those things have come in focus a little bit."
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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