Michigan
NCAA Great Lakes Regional
Wolverines Clinch 17th Consecutive NCAA Berth with Regional Four-Peat
11/9/2018 2:57:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
Site: Terre Haute, Ind. (LaVern Gibson Championship Course)
Event: NCAA Great Lakes Regional
Distance: Six Kilometers (3.73 miles)
U-M Team Finish: 1st place of 32 teams (46 points)
Top U-M Individual: Anne Forsyth, 3rd (20:32.59)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Nov. 17 -- at NCAA Championships (Madison, Wis.)
• Photo Gallery | Complete Results
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan women's cross country team is moving on to the NCAA Championships for the 17th year in a row after decisively capturing its fourth consecutive NCAA Great Lakes Regional team title Friday morning (Nov. 9).
With third- and fourth-place finishers Anne Forsyth and Avery Evenson leading five Wolverines to individual top-16 showings, Michigan claimed a resounding victory over its nearest competitor in Big Ten rival Wisconsin, 46-82.
Just as they were in their Big Ten title-winning run two weekends ago, the Wolverines were both the deepest team in the field and the one of the strongest squads in the race's late goings -- two assets that will serve them well at the NCAA Championships next Saturday (Nov. 17) in Madison, Wisconsin.
Michigan's active 17-year streak is surpassed nationally only by Stanford (25), though it is currently tied with Michigan State as the Spartans, third on Friday, await their at-large qualification fate Saturday.
Forsyth, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, was the top freshman in this regional field with her third-place run in 20:32.59 over the six-kilometer (3.73-mile) race at LaVern Gibson Championship Course. She was followed across the line seconds later by Evenson in 20:36.19.
It did not take much longer for Michigan's full five-woman scoring lineup to come through, with Hannah Meier in ninth at 20:47.38, Camille Davre 14th in 20:53.30 and Claire Borchers 16th in 20:54.82.
All five of those women earned all-region honors by finishing top-25, and, in a true display of depth, all five were across the line before any other team could get four runners through the chute. Notre Dame's fourth runner finished 21st. Adding in 28th-place Jessi Larson and 32nd-place Anna West, Michigan had its full lineup across the line before any other team had six finishers.
Michigan last had five or more all-region performers in 2016, when it tallied an identical five awards and went on to finish runner-up by a single point at the NCAA Championships.
With Forsyth and Evenson running out front, the Wolverines jumped out to an early lead and never once relented. By the first kilometer, Michigan had already opened up a 15-point advantage over Notre Dame (83-98) that persisted through the second kilometer (83-96).
Michigan ratcheted down the pressure on the field in the third kilometer, taking a 70-95 advantage over the Fighting Irish, while eventual runner-up Wisconsin began to move up the field with 117 points.
As the race wore on through the fifth kilometer, the Wolverines only got stronger. All five Michigan scorers move up through the field between the 4K and 5K split points, with Davre gaining seven to move up to 14th and Borchers moving up to 19th behind a five-point gain. The U-M scorers moved up a combined 18 positions over that split, fourth-best of any team in the field.
The sixth kilometer was perhaps the most impressive of all for the Wolverines. Over the final kilometer, Meier clocked the second-fastest split of anyone in the field at 3:24.4 to gain 10 spots in a move up to 10th -- the ninth-biggest move in the field over that span -- while Forsyth and Evenson clocked the fourth- and fifth-fastest closing splits of anyone in the race at 3:25.0 and 3:25.9, respectively.
While the Wolverines were able to gain a combined 15 spots over the last 1,000 meters on the strength of their late-race prowess, Wisconsin was only able to manage a one-position net gain.
Michigan Results
3. Anne Forsyth -- 20:32.59*
4. Avery Evenson -- 20:36.19*
9. Hannah Meier -- 20:47.38*
14. Camille Davre -- 20:53.30*
16. Claire Borchers -- 20:54.82*
28. Jessi Larson -- 21:06.40
32. Anna West -- 21:10.71
* All-Region (Top 25)
Team Standings
1. MICHIGAN -- 47 points
2. Wisconsin -- 82
3. Michigan State -- 89
4. Notre Dame -- 100
5. Indiana -- 137
6. Eastern Michigan -- 230
7. Ohio State -- 265
8. Purdue -- 279
9. Toledo -- 297
10. Butler -- 317
11. Miami (Ohio) -- 351
12. Dayton -- 396
13. Xavier (Ohio) -- 413
14. Western Michigan -- 451
15. Bowling Green -- 463
16. Central Michigan -- 468
17. Akron -- 486
18. Wright State -- 487
19. Indiana State -- 518
19. Wisconsin-Milwaukee -- 518
21. IUPUI -- 531
22. Oakland -- 582
23. Marquette -- 640
23. Ohio -- 659
25. Cincinnati -- 693
26. Purdue Fort Wayne -- 742
27. Youngstown State -- 768
28. Cleveland State -- 814
29. Detroit Mercy -- 852
30. Evansville -- 902
31. Valparaiso -- 958
32. Wisconsin-Green Bay -- 1037
Up Next
Michigan will travel to Madison, Wisconsin, on Saturday, Nov. 17, for its 17th consecutive appearance at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The meet will be broadcast live on Flotrack.org through its Flotrack Pro service.
Players Mentioned
