Michigan
Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational
Loaded Field Awaits Michigan Men at Wisconsin
10/16/2019 3:20:00 PM | Men's Cross Country
» The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan men's cross country team will face its toughest test and its final big race of the regular season at Wisconsin on Friday (Oct. 18)
» Seven Michigan men will run in a championship race at 1 p.m. CDT that features 20 of the nation's 30 highest-ranked teams, with more U-M runners set for the "B" race at 11:40 a.m. CDT.
THIS WEEK
Friday, Oct. 18 -- at Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational (Madison, Wis.)
"B" Race - 11:40 a.m. CDT | Championship Race - 1 p.m. CDT
TV: FloTrack | Live Results | Live Video
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One final regular-season test awaits the No. 18-ranked University of Michigan men's cross country team this Friday (Oct. 18) at Wisconsin, and it is a big one with two-thirds of the nation's top teams set to toe the line for the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational.
The Wolverines will be among 20 teams ranked top-30 nationally -- including conference rivals No. 11 Purdue, No. 15 Indiana and No. 19 Wisconsin -- in what will be their final top-tier competition before the postseason begins in November.
Hosted on the same Thomas Zimmer Championship Course that hosted the NCAA Championships a year ago (in which Michigan finished 19th), the men's "B" race begins at 11:40 a.m. CDT before the main championship race at 1 p.m. CDT. Both races will measure eight kilometers (4.97 miles), with Michigan's top seven entrants scheduled for the latter race.
Those seven will be battling for as many head-to-head victories as possible, all of which would bolster Michigan's case to earn an at-large qualifying berth to the NCAA Championships on Nov. 23. The top two teams at each of the nine regional meets around the country on Nov. 15 automatically will qualify for nationals, with 13 other teams around the country earning at-large bids based on head-to-head victories.
Among those who could suit up for the Wolverines in either race are All-American Jack Aho, Jacob Branch, Dominic Dimambro, Nick Foster, James Gedris, Isaac Harding, Jordy Hewitt, Ben Hill, Christian Hubaker, Cole Johnson, Will Landowne, Jacob Lee, Andrew Lorant, Devin Meyrer, Gabe Mudel, Joost Plaetinck, Ryan Robinson and Colton Yesney.
Those who do not race in the championship race likely will suit up in the "B" race to further develop Michigan's depth, which is among the best in the nation. All will be donning pink uniforms instead of the traditional blue in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
That group will have to contend with a field that features six top-10 teams in defending national champion No. 1 Northern Arizona, No. 5 Stanford, No. 6 Iowa State, No. 7 Oregon, No. 8 Portland and No. 10 NC State.
Friday also will be round two between Big Ten title contenders Purdue, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin, with Michigan State joining in this time. Those first four teams squared off two weeks ago at Notre Dame, with Purdue finishing fourth, Indiana sixth, Michigan seventh and Wisconsin eighth.
Finishing fifth at Notre Dame were the host No. 13 Fighting Irish, who also will be in the field at Wisconsin. Notre Dame also is in the Great Lakes Region with the five aforementioned squads, making this an early preview of the regional race. Purdue, Notre Dame, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Michigan State, in that order, are the top six teams in the USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region rankings.
Follow along on the live stream hosted on FloTrack's subscription streaming service, as well as by live results provided by PrimeTime Timing. Live updates also will be provided on the program's official Twitter account, @UMichTrack.
Things to Know
• Led by former Great Lakes Region and two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year Kevin Sullivan, the U-M men dropped to No. 4 in the latest regular-season Great Lakes Regional rankings and No. 18 in the National Coaches' Poll announced Monday (Oct. 7) and Tuesday (Oct. 8), respectively, by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
• Michigan is ranked third nationally among Big Ten squads, behind only No. 11 Purdue and No. 15 Indiana. Just behind the Wolverines is No. 19 Wisconsin.
• In addition to its USTFCCCA national rank, Michigan also checked in at No. 15 in The Stride Report's rankings and at No. 25 per Flotrack.
• Michigan is coming off a strong showing in its first true competition of the 2019 season two weekends ago at Notre Dame. Led by Devin Meyrer, the Wolverines matched their pre-meet rank in the field with a seventh-place finish.
• The Wolverines' depth at Notre Dame was unmatched, with Michigan getting seven runners across the line before any other team in the field. U-M was the only team in the field with eight runners in the top 100. The Wolverines could have had another as Joost Plaetinck's performance in the open race was good enough to have been top-50 in the main race.
• Michigan was led up front at Notre Dame by 21st-place Meyrer in his first big cross country race as a Wolverine, as well as by 34th-place Aho in his official 2019 debut.
• Making his collegiate debut in his first eight-kilometer race at Notre Dame, Foster was impressive as the Wolverines' No. 3 runner. The extra distance seemed to suit the Ann Arbor native well, as his final kilometer was the 10th-fastest of the entire 167-man field and his 12-spot move during that span was the fifth-best in the field.
• Michigan will be looking for a bounceback effort from former Big Ten Athlete of the Week Isaac Harding, who ran out front with the overall leaders early at Notre Dame but fell back to 57th as Michigan's No. 6 runner.
A Look Ahead
Friday, Oct. 25 -- at Eastern Michigan Fall Classic (Dexter, Mich.), 4:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 3 -- at Big Ten Championships (Columbus, Ohio), 10:45 a.m.
Players Mentioned
