Oct. 28, 2016
Sunday, October 30
11:00 a.m. ET - Women's 6K
12:00 p.m. ET - Men's 8K
MEET INFO | RESULTS | MEET NOTES
NATIONAL RESULTS WALL
MEET PREVIEW
| Nationally Ranked Teams | |
| Men | Women |
| #14 Michigan | #6 Michigan |
| #18 Wisconsin | #9 Penn State |
| #19 Indiana | #27 Michigan State |
| #29 Michigan State | Minnesota (RV) |
| Minnesota (RV) | |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's and women's cross country teams will travel to Minneapolis, MN for the 2016 Big Ten Cross Country Championships this Sunday, Oct. 30.
THE MEET
The 2016 Big Ten Cross Country Championships are hosted by the Minnesota University and will be contested on the Les Bolstad Gold Course in Minneapolis, MN. The women's race will start at 11 a.m. ET while the men's race will begin one hour later at 12 p.m. ET.
On the women's side, No. 9 Penn State will compete against two ranked teams including No. 6 Michigan and No. 27 Michigan State. Minnesota's women's team is receiving votes in the poll.
The Penn State women posted a win over then-No. 10 Michigan a few weeks ago at the Roy Griak Invitational on the same course that Penn State will be competing on this weekend.
On the men's side, four teams enter the competition nationally ranked. No. 14 Michigan State leads the way followed by No. 18 Wisconsin, No. 19 Indiana and No. 29 Michigan State. Minnesota is receiving votes in the poll.
B1G CROSS COUNTRY TV COVERAGE
BTN will carry the championships LIVE. Dan Kelly, Sara Kroll, Reed Connor and Ali Lucia will serve as the broadcast talent.
LAST TIME OUT
Tessa Barrett (20:11) led a 1-2-3 sweep as Elizabeth Chikotas (20:14) and Jillian Hunsberger (20:17) helped Penn State to a first-place finish at the Penn State National Open.
Penn State claimed wins over several ranked teams including Oklahoma State (No.14), Virginia (No.22), Ole Miss (No.25) and West Virginia (No.30).
Rounding out the scoring for Penn State was Kathryn Munks (20:05) in 19th-place and Greta Lindsley (20:55) in 22nd-place.
Timothy McGowan (eighth-place/25:11) and Colin Abert's (12th-place/25:15) top-15 finishes led the way for the men's sixth-place finish.
The men scored 206 points, placing them ahead of Villanova (299) who is currently receiving votes in the USTFCCCA Coaches poll.
Rounding out the scoring for Penn State were John McGowan (25:57) in 29th-place, Bobby Hill (26:26) in 57th-place, and Conrad Lippert (26:31) in 80th-place.
LAST YEAR AT THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Penn State women's cross country program placed three runners in the top-10 to win the 2015 Big Ten Championship at the Sydney R. Marovitz Golf Course. The championship marked the Nittany Lions' first title since 2009.
The Nittany Lions were led by senior Tori Gerlach's fourth place (20:04), followed by Elizabeth Chikotas (sixth-place), and Jillian Hunsberger in ninth-place.
Penn State's five point victory over Michigan tied for the fourth-smallest margin of victory in Big Ten women's cross country championship history with Wisconsin, who defeated Michigan by a score of 31-36 back in 1998.
Along with Gerlach, Chikotas, and Hunsbrger, redshirt-freshman Tessa Barrett in 12th-place (20:21.4), and junior Julie Kocjancic in 22nd-place (20:46.5), rounded out the scoring for the Nittany Lions.
Gerlach and Chikotas received first-team All-Big Ten honors, while Hunsberger and Barrett garnered second-team All-Big Ten honors.
On the men's side senior Wade Endress (23:55) led the way recording a 16th-place finish, just two spots shy of All-Big Ten honors.
Rounding out scoring for the Nittany Lion men were Colin Abert (24:14.1), Conner Quinn (24:22.3), Ean DiSilvio 24:30.5), and Robby Creese (24:33.3) who claimed 31st, 38th, 43rd, and 44th-place, respectively.
The men finished in 6th-place overall with a team score of 169.
USTFCCCA RANKINGS
The Penn State women's cross country team enters this weekend ranked No. 9 in the national coaches' polls. The women are ranked No. 1 in the Mid-Atlantic Region, while the men are fifth.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Nittany Lions do not compete next weekend as they prepare for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on Nov. 11. Penn State will host the 2016 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional for the fourth time in the last six years at the Blue and White course. The women's 6k is set for noon and the men's 10k is slated for a 1 p.m. ET start.
For more on Nittany Lion cross country, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.