Oct. 29, 2009
Big Ten Cross Country Championship Central
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Facing a field including many nationally-ranked foes, the Nittany Lion men's and women's cross country teams are poised to fire on all cylinders this Sunday at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships at the Blue/White Golf Course on campus.
About the Races:
What: The Big Ten Cross Country Championships
When: Sunday, November 1
Where: Blue/White Golf Course (Starting line off of Atherton Street on the 13th Fairway of the White Course)
Race Distances/Start Times: Men's 5.2 Miles - 10:45 a.m., Women's 6,000-meters - 11:45 a.m.
Results: Provided by Runner's High (www.runhigh.com); Full results and recaps will be available at www.GoPSUsports.com following the races.
TV Coverage: The Big Ten Network will air the Big Ten Cross Country Championships in their entirety on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 1 p.m. ET.
Competing Teams (National Ranking/Region - Rank):
Men
Illinois (Mid-West - No. 9)
Indiana (USTFCCCA, No. 18/Great Lakes - No. 3)
Iowa (Mid-West - No. 7)
Michigan (USTFCCCA, ORV/Great Lakes - No. 4)
Michigan State (Great Lakes - No. 9)
Minnesota (USTFCCCA, ORV/Mid-West - No. 5)
Ohio State (Great Lakes - No. 8)
Penn State (Mid-Atlantic - No. 6)
Purdue (Great Lakes - No. 14)
Wisconsin (USTFCCCA, No. 15/Great Lakes - No. 1)
ORV - Others Receiving Votes
Women
Illinois (USTFCCCA, No. 13/Mid-West - No. 1)
Indiana (Great Lakes - No. 5)
Iowa (USTFCCCA, No. 23/Mid-West - No. 4)
Michigan (USTFCCCA, No. 22/Great Lakes - No. 1)
Michigan State (USTFCCCA, No. 27/Great Lakes - No. 2)
Minnesota (USTFCCCA, No. 15/Mid-West - No. 2)
Northwestern
Ohio State (Great Lakes - No. 4)
Penn State (USTFCCCA, No. 18/Mid-Atlantic - No. 5)
Purdue (Great Lakes - No. 7)
Wisconsin (Great Lakes - No. 8)
Men's Preview...
As has become the norm in Big Ten Cross Country, 10-time defending champion and No. 15 Wisconsin stands as the team to beat in 2009. First at the Jim Drews Invitational, second at the Iona Meet of Champions, and third at the Wisconsin Inter-Regional this season, the Badgers, are led by 2008 Big Ten runner-up Landon Peacock and 2008 All-Big Ten finisher Jack Bolas. Wisconsin finished fourth nationally a year ago.
2008 Big Ten Champion and multiple-time NCAA All-American Hassan Mead of Minnesota enters the weekend as the individual favorite. Mead and the Golden Gophers are currently ranked fifth in the Mid-West region and sit just outside the national top 30 after placing 11th in the Pre-National White Race. Minnesota placed third in the Big Ten a year ago and 15th nationally.
Undefeated in team-scored competitions with victories at the Indiana Intercollegiate, Paul Short Run, and Jim Bell Invitational, the No. 18 Indiana Hoosiers will also be in the hunt in the team standings with a squad that features a youthful top five made up of almost entirely freshman and sophomores. Indiana finished fifth at the Big Ten meet last year. Also in contention in the team race, the Michigan Wolverines were second in the Big Ten a year ago and 24th nationally. Ranked fourth in the Great Lakes Region, the Wolverines won the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational and the Michigan Intercollegiate in 2009, led by 2009 Big Ten Athlete of the Week honoree Peter Christmas.
Fourth in the Big Ten a year ago and 25th at NCAAs, the Penn State Nittany Lions are led by 2008 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Kyle Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.) and fellow sophomore Vince McNally (Smoketown, Pa.). Rated sixth in the Mid-Atlantic Region, the Nittany Lions have finished third at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational and fourth at the Cappy Anderson Invitational at Maryland Eastern Shore this fall. Adding depth to a young and talented Lion roster are freshmen Danny Pawola (Naperville, Ill.) and Tom Luff (Emmaus, Pa.), along with sophomore Chris Cipro (Harmony, Pa.). Also competing for the Lions on Sunday will be experienced junior Lucas Zarzeczny (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 800-meter All-American Ryan Foster (Tasmania, Australia), and 2008 Big Ten 1500-meter champion Samuel Borchers (Yellow Springs, Ohio). Filling out the squad in his first appearance for Penn State is senior transfer Jeremy Matula (Bath, Pa.).
Women's Preview...
The Big Ten women's race will feature several highly ranked teams and four returning front runners, who each garnered NCAA All-America honors at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships. One of the favorites for the individual title is undoubtedly Illinois senior Angela Bizzari - the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Champion at 5000-meters, and recent winner of the White Race at the Pre-National Invitational at Indiana State. Bizzari leads an experienced Illinois squad that returns six of its top seven runners from its 10th-place squad at the NCAA Championships last fall.
Also in contention for top individual honors is Nittany Lion senior Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio). Franek - a six-time NCAA All-American on the track and on the course - recently proved to be a contender on the world's stage, competing for the United States in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the IAAF World Championships in August. Franek leads a talented No. 18 Penn State squad, including two-time All-Region finisher and this year's Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational winner Cheryl Spring (The Woodlands, Texas), along with freshman standouts Nicole Lord (Media, Pa.), Brooklyne Ridder (Cincinnati, Ohio), Natalie Bower (Pleasant Unity, Pa.), and Lindsey Graybill (Macungie, Pa.). Also running strong for the Nittany Lions are sophomores Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.) and Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.), who both have been consistent members of the Lion top seven throughout the 2009 season. The Lions will round out their Big Ten squad with senior Claire Berryman (Morgantown, W.Va.) - in her final appearance at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships.
Big Ten 10,000-meter champion and 2008 NCAA Cross Country All-American Megan Duwell will also vie for the individual title as the front runner for two-time defending Big Ten Champions and No. 15 Minnesota. Duwell, who placed fourth at the Big Ten Championships a year ago, is the highest returning finisher in the 2009 field. This fall, the Golden Gophers have finished sixth in the White Race at Pre-Nationals - led by a third-place effort from Duwell in the stacked field - and posted a second-place effort at the Roy Griak Invitational at Minnesota. Minnesota's talented roster also includes former NCAA 800-meter champion Heather Dorniden, as well as fellow NCAA qualifiers Elizabeth Yetzer, Nikki Swenson, and Amy Laskowske.
In the hunt for a top finish in the team standings in No. 22 Michigan - winners of five of the last seven Big Ten titles, and No. 23 Iowa. The Wolverines are led by recent Big Ten Athlete of the Week Kaitlyn Peale, while the Hawkeye effort has been paced by sophomore Brooke Eilers, and Hawkeye Invitational winner Betsy Flood. Also returning after an All-America season in 2008 is Indiana's Wendy Robinson. Robinson recorded a top 30 finish at the NCAA Championships last fall, and has several NCAA appearances on the track on her resume. Also among the athletes to watch is Michigan State standout Emily McLeod, who leads the No. 27 Spartan squad, and finished 11th in the Pre-National Blue race, as well as Wisconsin Badger Caitlin Comfort - the 2008 Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
The 2008 Big Ten Championships
Behind a fifth-place and all-conference finish from freshman Kyle Dawson, the Nittany Lion men's cross country team posted a fourth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, Sunday at the University of Michigan Golf Course. The Nittany Lions' outstanding finish was the highest since the 2000 season for the Penn State men, who also bested several ranked programs on the day, as well the seventh top-five finish since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten in 1991, and the third in the last 13 years. The Nittany Lion women turned in a seventh-place finish in the team standings in arguably the deepest distance conference in the country, which included seven programs ranked in the top 21 nationally. Junior Bridget Franek led the way for the women with a ninth-place effort individually, posting an all-conference finish for the second-straight year. Dawson, just the eighth first-team All-Big Ten finisher in program history, and the first since 2003, was the top freshman in the field, covering the hilly and difficult 8,000-meter course in 24:48. Dawson held his own amongst some of the top individuals in the nation, coming out on top of several NCAA All-Americans. The Lions scored 133 points to finish fourth, edging No. 19 Indiana in fifth with 135. Wisconsin won the men's meet for the 10th-straight year, scoring 40 points to upend host Michigan in second with 57, and Minnesota in third with 60.
Next Up...
Following the Big Ten Championships, the Lions will hit the road to Princess Anne, Md., for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships at Maryland-Eastern Shore on Nov. 14. The top two teams in each race will receive automatic bids to the NCAA Championships, while the top four individual finishers will advance to Terre Haute, Ind., on Nov. 23.
2009 Season at a Glance:
Due to unseasonable weather conditions, the Nittany Lion cross country team was forced to cancel the annual Penn State National at the Blue/White Golf Course. In a last minute decision, the meet was moved to Lock Haven University, where many of the teams scheduled to appear at the Penn State National were able to compete. The weather didn't stop senior Bridget Franek from posting another outstanding performance, as she placed third among nationally elite competition. Franek finished the muddy 6,000-meter course in 20 minutes, 28 seconds - just seven seconds behind individual winner, Neely Spence of Shippensburg. The Nittany Lion women totaled 56 points in the team standings, finishing second-to-only No. 3 West Virginia, which scored a total of 27 points. The Lions bettered several nationally rated programs in the effort, including Providence in third with 74 points, Cornell in fourth (131 points), Boston College in fifth (134 points), and Stony Brook in sixth place (150 points).
At the Notre Dame Invitational
Knocking off several nationally-ranked foes, including No. 3 Florida State, the Nittany Lion women's cross country team impressed at the Notre Dame Invitational on Friday, placing fourth in an elite field at the Notre Dame Golf Course. Senior Bridget Franek did not disappoint in her first appearance of the 2009 campaign, placing seventh overall against outstanding competition. Sophomore Vince McNally paced the men's team, turning in a 66th-place effort over the men's 8,000-meter course. Thanks to outstanding runs from the entire Lion top seven, Penn State - which entered the weekend ranked 22nd in the latest USTFCCA poll - totaled 152 points to finish fourth in the team standings, upending stalwart programs from Arizona State (No. 13), New Mexico (No. 25), Florida State (No. 3), Southern Methodist, and Providence (No. 12). The No. 1 Washington Huskies topped the team standings with a 33-point total, followed by regional rival and No. 6 Princeton with 68. No. 15 Florida took third overall with 104. Washington claimed the top four finishing spots, led by Kendra Schaaf, who finished in 16:31.
At the Cappy Anderson Invitational
Freshman Brooklyne Ridder captured her first career victory while sophomore Vince McNally paced the Nittany Lion men with a fifth-place finish, Saturday at the Cappy Anderson Invitational on the campus of Maryland-Eastern Shore. Propelled by three runners in the top 10, the Nittany Lion women finished second-to-only No. 7 Princeton in the team standings. The Nittany Lions turned in a fourth-place finish on the men's side. The Lions' 37-point total was good for second-place honors on the women's side on what will also be the site of the 2009 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships in November. Princeton topped the field with 20, while UMBC took third with 75. McNally, who was an all-region finisher as a freshman in 2008, led the Lions over the 8,000-meter men's course, placing fifth in 25:28. After starting off conservative through the early goings of the race, the sophomore was able to work his way through the pack and provide as strong finish as the Lions' number one. Princeton won the men's competition with a 29-point total, followed by St. Joseph's with 38. Pittsburgh came in third with 84 points, just ahead of the Lions' in fourth with 87.
At the Spiked Shoe Invitational
Despite chilly conditions and heavy rain, the Nittany Lion women's cross country team topped the competition at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational, Friday at the Blue-White Golf Course. Taking the individual title for the second-straight year was senior Cheryl Spring, while freshman Danny Pawola paced the Nittany Lion men to a third-place finish with an 11th-place individually. Spring ran away from all competitors, finishing the 6,000-meter course in 21:13 - 11 seconds faster than the second-place finisher. Despite the wet and muddy conditions, Spring shaved 16 seconds off her winning time from the same competition in 2008. Spring's low stick led the Nittany Lions to victory in the team standings, as the Penn State squad totaled 33 points to better Big Ten foes Ohio State (47 points), and Illinois (54 points). Big Ten rival Michigan won the men's competition with a score of 25 points, while Geneseo State managed a second-place showing with a 40-point total. The Nittany Lions captured third-place overall with a total score of 81 points.
Sophomore Caitlin Lane scored an individual win, while the Nittany Lion women swept the top seven spots, Friday at the Dolan Duals at Lock Haven University. Sophomore Ryan Foster was the top Penn State finisher on the men's side, taking third overall in the Nittany Lions' first competition of the cross country season. Lane, who also won the Lock Haven meet as a freshman, led an impressive contingent of underclassman, finishing in the 4,000-meter course in 13:54.90 - nearly 50 seconds faster than her winning time in 2008. Lane led the race wire-to-wire, distancing herself from the field during the second half of the competition, eventually bettering the field by over 15 seconds. Foster, an NCAA All-American at 800-meters, excelled over the 6,000-meter course, placing third overall and first for Penn State, clocking 18:16.10, thanks to a furious finishing kick. Teammate Owen Dawson, also a middle distance standout, finished neck and neck with Foster, taking fourth overall with a finishing time of 18:16.30.