Michigan
Nuttycombe Invitational
Wolverine Weekly: Pre-Nuttycombe Invitational News and Notes
9/25/2018 5:21:00 PM | Men's Cross Country
» Michigan will have its toughest challenge of the season to date as it faces 28 teams that either are or have been included in the USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll in 2018.
» The Wolverines will be looking for as many head-to-head wins as possible to boost their chances of qualifying for the NCAA Championships, which will be held on this same Wisconsin course on Nov. 17
» Top Wolverines Isaac Harding, Andrew Lorant, Ben Hill and Jacob Lee will make their 2018 debuts both in scored competition and at the eight-kilometer (4.97-mile) distance.
THIS WEEK
Friday, Sept. 18 -- at Wisconsin Nuttycombe Invitational (Madison, Wis.), 11:40 a.m. CDT ("B" Race) / 1 p.m. CDT (Championship Race)
• Live Results | Watch Live on FloTrack Pro
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The reigning Big Ten-champion University of Michigan men's cross country team will have its best chance of the season to date to prove its mettle as it takes on a stacked field at this Friday's (Sept. 28) Wisconsin Nuttycombe Invitational.
Michigan's top crew of Isaac Harding, Andrew Lorant, Ben Hill, Jacob Lee and Jack Aho will make the Wolverines' proper debut in scored competition against the likes of 19 teams ranked in the latest USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll, four teams that -- like the Wolverines -- are in the "also receiving votes" category of the national poll and five more that previously received votes.
The main Championship Race at 1 p.m. CDT in which the main showdown will take place will be preceded by a "B" Race at 11:40 a.m. CDT. Both races will be streamed live on FloTrack Pro, and live results are available for both races from Record Timing. This will be the Wolverines' second scored competition of the season. For a breakdown of how team scoring works, click here.
Running in opposition to the Wolverines on the same eight-kilometer (4.97-mile) Thomas Zimmer Championship Course that will host the NCAA Championships on Nov. 17 is a field that includes two-time defending national champion No. 1 Northern Arizona, No. 3 Portland, No. 5 Iowa State, No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 Colorado, host No. 9 Wisconsin and No. 10 Colorado State.
The field is as deep as it is top-heavy. With all but eight of the 37 teams in the field either ranked top-30, receiving votes nationally or formerly receiving votes in the poll, and 17 of the 37 having appeared at last season's NCAA Championships, the Nuttycombe Invitational presents an enticing opportunity for the young Michigan squad to prove itself against many of the nation's best.
Among that depth are such conference foes as Wisconsin, No. 21 Michigan State and No. 29 Indiana -- the only three Big Ten teams ranked ahead of Michigan nationally -- vote-receiving Minnesota and the former vote-receiving Illinois and Penn State.
The Wolverines will also race against several teams they will see again when berths to the NCAA Championships are on the line at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional meet (Nov. 9), including Wisconsin, MSU, Indiana, vote-receiving Butler and unranked Purdue.
The full field is listed below.
Adding to the import of this meet is the fact that it is the Wolverines' first bonafide competition within the NCAA Championships at-large qualifying period that began in early September. That means that any head-to-head wins and losses accrued in Madison will count towards the Wolverines at-large qualifying resume.
Should Michigan not finish first or second in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional -- in which it is currently ranked No. 4 -- it would need to rely on having a large number of head-to-head wins over other NCAA-qualifying teams to advance.
The Field
#1 Northern Arizona, #3 Portland, #5 Iowa State, #6 Alabama, #7 Colorado, #9 Wisconsin, #10 Colorado State, #14 Southern Utah, #15 Washington State, #16 Iona, #17 Air Force, #21 Michigan State, #22 Oklahoma State, #24 Princeton, #25 North Carolina State, #26 Boise State, #27 Villanova, #29 Indiana, #30 Texas, Columbia (RV), Eastern Kentucky (RV), Georgetown (RV), Michigan (RV), Bradley, New Mexico, Purdue, San Francisco, Southern Illinois, Tennessee, Texas Tech, Tulsa
The Wolverine Lineup
After not competing two weekends ago at the Michigan State Spartan Invitational, the core group of Harding, Lorant, Hill, Lee and Aho are part of a 16-runner contingent that will be split between the "B" Race at 11:40 a.m. CDT and the Championship Race at 1 p.m. CDT. From among that group, seven will be selected to run in the Championship Race and seven will be tabbed for the "B" Race, with two alternates.
Potentially joining the top group of five in the Championship race could be Baylor transfer Devin Meyrer in his Michigan debut or top finishers at the MSU race John Tatter, Joost Plaetinck or Jacob Branch. Also entered into the meet for the Wolverines are Dominic Dimambro, Kevin Hall, Jordy Hewitt, Christian Hubaker, Gabe Mudel, Lewis Tate and Ryan Wilkie.
• Harding was Michigan's top in-uniform finisher at the Michigan Open as the overall runner-up, running a 15:23.3 time that was just three seconds off his sixth-place performance from a year ago. From last year's finish in what was his official collegiate debut, the redshirt sophomore went on to take 18th at Big Tens and 124th at the NCAA Championships. He, along with the rest of the established top group, did not compete at Michigan State.
• Among all of Michigan's top finishers in the season opener, no one made a bigger step forward from last year than third-place Lorant. At this meet a year ago, the redshirt sophomore was 11th in 15:47.1; this year he came through in 15:25.2. The result was the next step in a progression than began on the track in 2018, as he ran 4:08.26 in the mile and 9:08.26 in the steeplechase. He, along with the rest of the established top group, did not compete at Michigan State.
• A breakthrough 2017 cross country campaign for redshirt junior Hill -- 22nd at Big Tens and 26th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional -- unfortunately gave way to a 2018 track season that saw him out of action for nearly its entirety. Back as a captain of the 2018 cross country squad, he ran 15:26.7 for fourth at the Michigan Open, just two seconds slower -- but three positions better -- than his season-opening run a year ago. He, along with the rest of the established top group, did not compete at Michigan State.
• Fifth-place Lee ran a nearly identical time at the Michigan Open to what he clocked a year ago -- 15:26.0 last year to 15:26.9. As an alternate on last year's postseason roster, he is now expected to step up into a consistent top-seven role as a leader of the team. His 10th-place finish in the Big Ten Outdoor 10,000-meter final is proof he is ready for that next step. He, along with the rest of the established top group, did not compete at Michigan State.
• Notable unattached performances at the Michigan Open came from sixth-place Aho and eighth-place Tatter. Aho, who is Michigan's top returner from last year's NCAA Championships squad as the No. 4 scorer, ran without a Michigan uniform to potentially preserve his eligibility to take a redshirt season. Tatter, who was fourth at last fall's high school Foot Locker Nationals meet, was Michigan's top first-year collegian on the day in 15:42.1. For reference, Aho was 15th overall in the opener a year ago before going on to become an integral part of the postseason run.
• Tatter led a crew of up-and-coming Wolverines at the MSU Spartan Invitational two weekends ago, finishing seventh overall in his official Michigan debut and his first-ever 8K race. He acquitted himself well over the extra distance, moving up three spots in the closing three miles of the nearly five-mile race.
Things to Know
• On this same weekend a year ago, the Wolverines entered the Notre Dame Joe Piane Invitational only receiving votes in the national poll, but came away with a fourth-place finish in a competitive field. The performance put them on a track that ultimately led to the Big Ten title and a 10th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
• Led by former Great Lakes Region and two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year Kevin Sullivan, U-M held steady at No. 4 in the new week three Great Lakes Regional rankings, and remained in the "also receiving votes" category in the National Coaches' Poll announced Monday (Sept. 24) and Tuesday (Sept. 25), respectively, by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
• The next edition of the rankings will be announced Monday (Oct. 1) and Tuesday (Oct. 2), respectively.
• 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, Michigan State and Indiana in the rankings.
• Among Big Ten teams nationally, Michigan is ranked fourth behind No. 9 Wisconsin, No. 22 Michigan State and No. 28 Indiana.
The Course
Name: Thomas Zimmer Championship Course
Distance: Eight Kilometers (4.97 miles)
Maximum Elevation: 1,129 feet
Minimum Elevation: 1,048 feet
A Look Ahead
Saturday, Oct. 13 -- at Pre-National Invitational (Madison, Wis.), 11:30 a.m. CDT
Friday, Oct. 19 -- at Eastern Michigan Fall Classic (Dexter, Mich.), 5 p.m.
Players Mentioned
