UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State cross country team travels back to Madison, Wisconsin to compete in the Big Ten Cross Country Championships on Friday, October 27. The men's squad will compete in the Men's 8K Championship at 11:45 a.m. ET then the women's team will run in the Women's 6K Championship at 12:45 p.m. ET.
Fans will be able to live stream both races at this year's Big Ten Championships with a subscription to B1G+. Both the live stream link and the live results link can be found listed below.
MEET INFO | Meet Central | Live Timing | B1G+ Live Stream
Penn State will begin its postseason slate at the conference meet in Wisconsin with the women's team ranked No. 2 and the men's team ranked No. 6 in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
PENN STATE OUTLOOK
Penn State previewed this year's championship course in Wisconsin two weeks ago when it raced in the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational in Madison. Both the men's and the women's teams battled rain, wind, and cold weather during their first trip to Wisconsin on October 13. This time around, the Nittany Lions are prepared for anything that comes their way and will seek strong contributing efforts from all members of the team in what will be a very competitive field of runners.
Evan Dorenkamp came in first in the Nuttycombe Invitational men's open division 8K last time out, which helped the men's team to a third-place finish. Freshman Brian DiCola competed in a Penn State uniform for the first time and placed 9th. The entirety of the men's team intends to keep up their success as it enters the Big Ten Championships with a more veteran-laden group than it fielded at last year's Big Ten Championships.
Maddie Ullom finished 77th in the Nuttycombe Invitational women's 6K Championship race, with Kileigh Kane not far behind. The women's team competed well in sloppy conditions in its first go-round in Madison this year and will run against fellow Big Ten teams back in Wisconsin on Friday.
THE BIG TEN CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Last season, the Big Ten Championships took place at Michigan in Ann Arbor. Kane's 20th place finish and Faith DeMars' 21st -place result helped the women's team to secure sixth overall in the conference. The team slotted in behind all five nationally-ranked Big Ten teams in the race, putting up a solid effort. Penn State returns each one of its top-five finishers from last season's race, as the veteran group looks to perform well against its conference foes this year.
The men's team came in ninth place last season with Brandon Hontz placing 39th and Behailu Bekele-Arcuri coming in just seconds behind in 47th place. The young squad ran well considering seven runners in the group had never participated at the Big Ten Championships previously to last season's race. Penn State's group added key talent, returning Dorenkamp to the fold along with DiCola and September 6, 2023 Big Ten Cross Country Athlete of the Week Ryan Watson.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateTFXC) and X/Instagram (@pennstatetfxc). Live updates on race day regarding weather, start times, and other important notes will be posted on X.
