UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State cross country program is headed to the Mahoney Golf Course in Lincoln, Nebraska, for the 2018 Big Ten Cross Country Championships on Sunday, Oct. 28. Action gets underway with the women's 6k at 11:45 a.m. (EDT) followed by the men's 8k at 12:45 p.m. (EDT).
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can watch the races live on FloSports and BTN Plus, but must have an account to access the stream. The 2018 Big Ten Cross Country Championships will be aired on a tape-delay on the Big Ten Network on Monday, Oct. 29, at 8 p.m. (EDT). Live scoring can also be found on GoPSUsports.com.
THE FIELD
The Big Ten Cross Country Championships feature one of the deepest fields among the conference championships this year. According to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, "There is no larger collection of ranked teams at a conference championship than what we'll see Sunday at the Big Ten Championships. There are six women's teams in action that were ranked in the most recent National Coaches' Poll and five men's teams that found refuge in the most recent National Coaches' Poll."
In the women's race, six teams are ranked: No. 7 Michigan, No. 10 Indiana, No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 13 Penn State, No. 14 Michigan State, and No. 21 Minnesota.
The men's race features four ranked teams: No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 18 Purdue, No. 22 Indiana, and No. 27 Michigan.
LAST YEAR AT THE BIG TEN MEET
At the 2017 Big Ten Cross Country Championships, the Penn State women finished fourth (107), while the Penn State men tied for seventh (159).
Individually, Jillian Hunsberger ran to a seventh-place finish (20:28.7) in the women's race and Colin Abert took 12th in the men's race (24:27.7).
LAST TIME OUT
The Nittany Lions last competed on Oct. 12 at the National Open at the Blue-White Golf Course. The National Open saw the Penn State women win the team title behind a first-place finish from freshman Julia Paternain (20:30). As a team, the Nittany Lion women scored 62 points.
On the men's side, the Blue & White placed 10th with a team score of 252 points. Individually for the Penn State men, Colin Abert ran to a 10th-place finish with his time of 25:17.
IN THE RANKINGS
Nationally, the Penn State women check in at No. 13. Regionally, the Penn State women are No. 2, while the men's team is No. 5.
ATHLETE OF THE WEEK HONORS
The Nittany Lions have combined for four athlete of the week honors. On the year, Colin Abert has been named the Big Ten Athlete of the Week twice (Sept. 5 & 12) and U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Athlete of the Week once (Sept. 10). Along with Abert, Julia Paternain was tabbed the Big Ten Athlete of the Week (Sept. 12).
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State returns home to Happy Valley to host the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on Friday, Nov. 9. The meet is scheduled for a noon start at the Blue-White Golf Course.