Oct. 28, 2017
Sunday, October 29
10:45 a.m. ET - Men's 8K
11:45 p.m. ET - Women's 6K
MEET INFO | LIVE RESULTS
USTFCCCA CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
MEET PREVIEW
| Nationally Ranked Teams | |
| Men | Women |
| #13 Michigan | #9 Penn State |
| #15 Michigan State | #10 Michigan |
| #18 Minnesota | #17 Wisconsin |
| #30 Penn State | #19 Minnesota |
| Illinois (RV) | #20 Michigan State |
| Purdue (RV) | #29 Indiana |
| Indiana (RV) | |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's and women's cross country teams will toe the line in Bloomington, Ind. for the 2017 Big Ten Cross Country Championships Sunday, Oct. 29.
THE MEET
The 2017 Big Ten Cross Country Championships are hosted by Indiana University and will be contested on the IU Championship Course in Bloomington, Ind.
The men's race will begin at 10:45 a.m. ET, while the women's race will start at 11:45 a.m. ET. Admission is free for fans of all teams.
On the women's side, No. 9 Penn State will compete against five ranked teams including No. 10 Michigan, No. 17 Wisconsin, No. 19 Minnesota, No. 20 Michigan State and No. 29 Indiana.
On the men's side, four teams enter the competition nationally ranked. No. 13 Michigan leads the way followed by No. 15 Michigan State, No. 18 Minnesota and No. 30 Penn State. Illinois, Purdue, and Indiana are receiving votes in the poll.
B1G CROSS COUNTRY TV COVERAGE
The championships will air on BTN on delay on Monday, October 30 at 8:30 pm ET.
LAST TIME OUT
No. 10 Penn State women's team captured the meet crown while the men's team finished runner-up at the Penn State National Open.
For the women's team, Penn State again placed every runner in the top-25 led by Jillian Hunsberger who was the top finisher for the Nittany Lions. The senior from Pittsburgh, Pa. finished the 6K in 20:22 that is the ninth-fastest time in meet history behind former Penn Stater Bridget Franek who ran 20:20 back in 2008. Franek was in attendance as an assistant coach for Akron.
Hunsberger was followed by teammates Kathryn Munks (22:23), Alison Willingmyre (20:34), Greta Lindsley (20:37), and Danae Rivers (21:05) in 3rd, 6th, 8th, and 25th-place, respectively.
The Penn State men's team was led by Colin Abert posting a time of 25:19 for third-place. Rounding out the scoring for Penn State were Timothy McGowan (25:37), Bobby Hill (25:42), John McGowan (25:48) and Ben Bumgarner (26:00) in 9th, 11th, 17th, and 20th-place, respectively.
LAST YEAR AT THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Paced by All-Big Ten performers Tessa Barrett, Jillian Hunsberger and Elizabeth Chikotas, the Penn State women's cross country team finished second at the Big Ten Championships with a score of 70 at the Les Bolstad Golf Course. The Penn State men's team finished ninth with a total score of 250.
Penn State entered the meet as the defending champions on the women's side.
The Nittany Lions battled throughout the 6-kilometer course trailing Michigan and Michigan State at the halfway point. Strong performances from Penn State's No. 4 and No. 5 runners Greta Lindsley and Kathryn Munks helped Penn State place all five runners inside the Top 30, including three runners in the Top-10.
Tessa Barrett was the top finisher on the day for Penn State crossing the line in third-place (21:04.8). Following Barrett was Jillian Hunsberger (21:09.3) in seventh-place and Elizabeth Chikotas (21:23.8) in 10th-place. Barrett (First-Team), Hunsberger (First-Team) and Chikotas (Second-Team) combined to bring home three All-Big Ten honors.
Finishing fourth for the Nittany Lions was Greta Lindsley (21:47.4) in 24th-place followed by Kathryn Munks(21:57.4) in 27th-place to round out scoring for Penn State.
The second-place finish by Penn State secured the first top-two finish in back-to-back years at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships in Program history.
On the men's side, Penn State traversed through a treacherous course to claim a ninth-place finish with a score of 250 on the day.
Tim McGowan (25:17.7) and Colin Abert (25:19.2) finished side by side in 25th and 28-place, respectively, to lead the way for the Nittany Lions.
Rounding out scoring for Penn State were John McGowan (26:04.5) in 67th-place, Bobby Hill (26:09.5) in 71st-place and Brandon Tubby (26:30.7) in 85-place.
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 No. 30 in the country and No. 5 in the Region.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Nittany Lions do not compete next weekend as they prepare for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on Nov. 10. Penn State will travel to Bethlehem, Pa. for the 2017 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional hosted by Lehigh University.
For more on Nittany Lion cross country, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.