Michigan
Michigan Open
Michigan Open Set to Kick Off 2018 Campaign for Wolverine Men
8/29/2018 4:53:00 PM | Men's Cross Country
» Friday will be the lone home competition for the University of Michigan men's cross country team.
» U-M is ranked No. 26 in the preseason National Coaches' Poll and will be looking to defend its Big Ten title from a year ago.
» This will be the first look at a new generation of Wolverine runners who take over for last year's decorated senior class.
THIS WEEK
Friday, Aug. 1 -- host Michigan Open (Hudson Mills Metropark), 10 a.m.
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A new-look No. 26 University of Michigan men's cross country team will take its first steps toward defending its Big Ten team title on Friday (Aug. 31) as the Wolverines open their 2018 campaign with the Michigan Open at Hudson Mills Metropark in Dexter, Michigan.
This will be Michigan's lone home competition of the 2018 season, though select members of the squad will return to Hudson Mills in October for the Eastern Michigan Fall Classic.
Slated for a 10 a.m. gun, the non-scored intrasquad race will be contested on a five-kilometer (3.11-mile) course over the gently rolling hills of Hudson Mills Metropark, located just to the north of downtown Dexter. The race will also feature unattached competitors.
Later in the season, the men will transition to running eight-kilometer (4.97-mile) distances through the Big Ten Championships, and then switch to 10-kilometer (6.21-mile) competitions for the NCAA postseason.
Admission to Hudson Mills Metropark is $10, which covers parking for the event. The site opens at 7 a.m. daily. [ More Information ]
THINGS TO KNOW
• Led by former Great Lakes Region and two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year Kevin Sullivan, the U-M men will enter ranked No. 3 in the preseason Great Lakes Regional rankings and No. 26 in the National Coaches' Poll announced Monday (Aug. 27) and Tuesday (Aug. 28), respectively, by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
• Michigan was ranked No. 4 in last year's preseason regional rankings before going on to finish second at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional to secure one of the region's two automatic berths to the NCAA Championships. The Wolverines trail Big Ten rivals Wisconsin and Michigan State in the rankings.
• Though the Wolverines fell to No. 26 in the preseason national poll from their 10th-place finish at the 2017 NCAA Championships, they enter the season ranked top-30 in the country for the 18th time in the past 20 years. Among Big Ten teams, Michigan is ranked third behind No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 22 Michigan State.
• Friday likely will be the only chance to see many of Michigan's top runners in action in the state of Michigan this year, as the top squad will likely opt out of the Eastern Michigan Fall Classic on Oct. 19 in favor of preparing for the Big Ten Championships the following weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska.
• With Michigan's top three scorers from last year's NCAA Championships -- Ben Flanagan, Connor Mora and Aaron Baumgarten -- all gone, this will be the first race in which NCAA returners Jack Aho, Isaac Harding and Ben Hill lead the way for Michigan. Aho and Harding both scored for the 10th-place Wolverines a year ago as the fourth and fifth runners in the lineup.
• That trio will be joined by newcomer Devin Meyrer, set to make his Michigan debut after transferring from Baylor. The former Bear is a two-time All-Region performer and just missed the NCAA Championships in 2017, and went on to win the German U23 5,000-meter title on the track this past summer.
• Also looking to take a big step forward for Michigan in 2018 will be Jacob Lee, who was an alternate during last year's postseason run before going on to take 10th in the Big Ten 10,000-meter final outdoors.
• Also set to run is 2016 All-Region honoree Jordy Hewitt, who missed much of last year due to injury.
• Friday will also serve as the Michigan cross country debuts for many of last year's recruits who redshirted their first years in Ann Arbor, including Christian Hubaker and Dominic Dimambro.
• All of Michigan's first-year collegians will compete unattached, with this race serving as their first taste of collegiate competition at U-M.
THE COURSE
Name: Hudson Mills Metropark North Course
Distance: Five Kilometers (3.11 miles)
Maximum Elevation: 874 feet
Minimum Elevation: 837 feet
Only 3 DAYS until the Michigan Open kicks off our 2018 #ncaaXC season!
— Michigan Cross Country / Track & Field (@UMichTrack) August 29, 2018
Here's a sneak preview of the 5k course at Hudson Mills Metropark. Be sure to be there in person starting at 10am!#Team100 #Team40 #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/cdt86qUmgX
We showed you yesterday what every step of our 5k course at Hudson Mills Metropark looks like from the ground.
— Michigan Cross Country / Track & Field (@UMichTrack) August 29, 2018
Here's what it looks like from above.
Meet us here in TWO DAYS for the Michigan Open on Friday at 10am! #Team100 #Team40 #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/wu3bIDitvk
A LOOK AHEAD
Friday, Sept. 14 -- at Adidas XC Challenge (Cary, N.C.)
Friday, Sept. 28 -- at Wisconsin Nuttycombe Invitational (Madison, Wis.)
Players Mentioned
