Michigan State University
Big Ten Cross Country Championships
Four Spartans Earn All-Conference Honors at B1G Cross Country Championships
11/1/2024 6:36:00 PM | Cross Country
SAVOY, Ill. - Freshman Rachel Forsyth (Ann Arbor, Mich./Ann Arbor Pioneer) finished fourth at the hotly-contested Big Ten Cross Country Championships, hosted by the University of Illinois. Overall, the Spartan women finished sixth, while the MSU men were fourth.
This was be the first Big Ten Championships with the four new B1G schools Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington. All 18 teams had women's teams in competition, while 15 teams had men's teams running.
The day began with Oregon winning the women's 6k race with 33 points. The Spartans finished sixth with 146 points. Forsyth finished fourth with a stunning time of 19:26.2. It was the best time for a Spartan in a 6k Big Ten Championship, just besting All-American Leah O'Connor who ran a 19:26.3 to win the 2014 title. By finishing fourth, the freshman earned first-team All-Big ten honors.
Four of the five Spartans that scored in the women's race set new personal bests, including Forsyth. Kaitlyn Hynes (DeWitt, Mich./DeWitt) finished 13th with a PR time of 19:42.2 to garner second-team All-Big Ten accolades. Kate Stewart-Barnett (New Westminster, B.C./St. Thomas More Collegiate) crossed the line in 20:13.8 to finish 43rd, while Taylor Ewert set a new PR with a time of 20:15.8, which was a personal best. Eleanor Kendall was the final scorer for MSU finishing 65th (20:35.6) for a new PR.
I'm proud of our women's growth throughout the season leading into today. We have a relatively inexperienced group, and they continue to learn quickly. The conference is incredibly competitive, and they handled the day well, Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Lisa Breznau said. Kaitlyn and Rachel were incredible. They trusted their race plans and maximized the day.
In the men's 8k race, Wisconsin captured the title with 46 points with Michigan State finishing fourth with 125 points. All five of the Michigan State scorers recorded new personal-best times. For the second-straight season, Andrew Nolan took home first-team All-B1G honors. This season, he finished eighth with a time of 22:59.3, which was a new personal best. Riley Hough crossed the line in 23:08.4, which was good for 18th. For his efforts, Hough was named second-team All-Big Ten.
Lezawe Osterink was the third Spartan to finish. He crossed the line in 23:14.2, which was good for 24th. Jack Pennewell (23:27.0) and Parker Lambers (23:32.3) finished 35th and 40th, respectively.
I thought our men did an excellent job of following the race plan, MSU Head Men's Cross Country Coach Aaron Simoneau said. We talked a lot before the race about not getting out of character and staying true to the things that allowed us to be successful throughout this season. We are heading to the regional meet in a really good place, and I'm confident in our ability to continue to race well as we move to 10,000 meters.
By being among the top five freshmen, Forsyth and Osterink both were named to the All-Freshman teams.
The Spartans will now prepare for the Great Lakes Regional on Friday, Nov. 15 in Norton, Ohio.
2024 Women's Cross Country All-Big Ten Honors
First Team
Silan Ayyildiz, Oregon
Maddy Elmore, Oregon
Ali Weimer, Minnesota
Rachel Forsyth, Michigan State
Florence Caron, Penn State
Chloe Foerster, Washington
Mia Barnett, Oregon
Aniya Mosley, Ohio State
Julia David-Smith, Washington
India Weir, Washington
Second Team
Klaudia Kazimierska, Oregon
Anika Thompson, Oregon
Kaitlyn Hynes, Michigan State
Ava Earl, Northwestern
Leane Willemse, Wisconsin
Halle Hill, Illinois
Maeve Stiles, Washington
Sophie O'Sullivan, Washington
Ali Bainbridge, Nebraska
Amina Maatoug, Washington
All-Freshman Team
Rachel Forsyth, Michigan State
Ali Ince, Oregon
Isabelle Schmitz, Minnesota
Charlotte Sinke, Oregon
Olivia Foody, UCLA
2024 Men's Cross Country All-BigTen Honors
First Team
Bob Liking, Wisconsin
Michael Mireles, UCLA
Nathan Green, Washington
Simeon Birnbaum, Oregon
Elliott Cook, Oregon
Evan Jenkins, Washington
Christian de Vaal, Wisconsin
Andrew Nolan, Michigan State
Aiden Smith, Oregon
Matan Ivri, Wisconsin
Second Team
Martin Segurola, Indiana
Skylar Stidam, Indiana
Johnny Livingston, Wisconsin
Jamar Distel, Washington
Rowen Ellenberg, Wisconsin
Tyrone Gorze, Washington
Tayson Echohawk, Oregon
Riley Hough, Michigan State
Leo Daschbach, Washington
Brian DiCola, Penn State
All-Freshman Team
Simeon Birnbaum, Oregon
Christian de Vaal, Wisconsin
Matan Ivri, Wisconsin
Tayson Echohawk, Oregon
Lezawe Osterink, Michigan State
Players Mentioned
