Michigan
EMU Fall Classic
Wolverine Women to Close Out Regular Season at EMU
10/23/2019 12:43:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
» Runners from the No. 8 University of Michigan women's cross country team will bring the regular season to its official end on Friday (Oct. 25) at the Eastern Michigan Fall Classic.
» Michigan's postseason roster will rest up in advance of an attempt to defend its streak of three-straight Big Ten titles next Sunday (Nov. 3), with Friday's lineup comprised of runners getting one final competitive opportunity heading into January's indoor track and field season.
THIS WEEK
Friday, Oct. 25 -- at Eastern Michigan Fall Classic (Hudson Mills Metropark), 5 p.m.
• Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
With the postseason just two weekends away, the national No. 8-ranked University of Michigan women's cross country team will officially close out the 2019 regular season Friday (Oct. 25) at the Eastern Michigan Fall Classic.
A small contingent of Wolverines will compete in the five-kilometer (3.11-mile) race at 5 p.m. at the Hudson Mills Metropark in nearby Dexter, Michigan, where the team ran its season-opening home meet in August.
The Wolverines' top lineup will be resting ahead of its attempt to win a fourth-straight team title at the Big Ten Championships on Nov. 3. This Friday's lineup will consist of runners getting in one final cross country race ahead of the indoor track and field season that is set to begin in January.
In addition to host Eastern Michigan, also scheduled to compete are squads from Bowling Green. Central Michigan, Grace Christian University, Lansing Community College, Toledo and Western Michigan.
Among those who could suit up for the Wolverines are Charlotte Cochrane, Lexi Munley, Hannah Palomino, Aurora Rynda, Samantha Saenz, Julia Vanitvelt and Megan Worrel. Other runners on the roster will compete unattached.
The men's race will precede the women's competition at 4:30 p.m.
Spectators are subject to a $10 entry fee into the Metropark.
Things to Know
• Led by reigning Great Lakes Region and Big Ten Coach of the Year Mike McGuire, Michigan checked in at No. 8 in the latest regular-season National Coaches' Poll and dropped to No. 2 in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Rankings announced Tuesday (Oct. 22) and Monday (Oct. 21), respectively, by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
• The Wolverines have claimed six of the last seven regional titles and are in the midst of the third-longest active NCAA Championships qualifying streak in the nation at 17 years running.
• With a fourth straight NCAA Great Lakes Regional title last fall, Michigan now owns the longest win streak in region history. The top two teams in the region automatically will advance to the NCAA Championships.
• In addition to its No. 8 rank in the USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll, the Wolverines also checked in at No. 7 in Flotrack's rankings and at No. 9 per The Stride Report.
• The Wolverines are in for a battle to claim a fourth straight Big Ten title. At No. 8 in the USTFCCCA poll, Michigan is sandwiched in between No. 7 Wisconsin and No. 9 Michigan State, neither of whom the team has faced so far this fall. They also will be pushed by No. 18 Penn State, No. 19 Illinois, No. 21 Ohio State, No. 23 Indiana and No. 25 Minnesota. For reference, no other conference has more than five top-30 teams.
• Just four races into her collegiate career, Ericka VanderLende has established herself among the nation's best runners and a threat to claim All-America honors at the NCAA Championships. Following her fifth-place finish at Pre-Nationals, the true freshman is ranked as the No. 15 runner in the country by The Stride Report and No. 17 by FloTrack.
• VanderLende battled all the way to the end in just her second-ever six-kilometer (3.73-mile) race at Pre-Nationals, crossing the line in 20:13.4. Only once has a freshman run faster in a Pre-Nationals race at Indiana State, and only twice have Michigan runners of any eligibility gone faster at an Indiana State-hosted Pre-National Invitational.
• The pack behind VanderLende has been solid in all three major regular-season races this fall. Kathryn House has emerged as a strong No. 2 runner for the Wolverines in what has been a breakthrough season for the junior. Most recently, she was 32nd in a strong field at Pre-Nationals.
• After missing the 2018 campaign with injury, team captain Maddy Trevisan has consistently shown she is back and as good as ever. Trevisan has been Michigan's No. 3 runner in all four races this year, finishing 14th at the competitive Indiana State meet and ninth at Ohio State before a 41st-place finish at Pre-Nationals.
• Jena Metwalli has been waging a breakthrough season of her own in 2019, as she was the Wolverines' No. 4 runner at Pre-Nationals. After opening the fall as U-M's No .10 runner at the Michigan Open, she steadily progressed to be Michigan's No. 7 at the John McNichols Invitational, its No. 5 at Ohio State and now its No. 4.
• The Wolverines took fourth at Pre-Nationals despite a rust-busting performance from Anna West, who had not competed since August. West has an All-America honor on her resume from 2017, making her a significant factor for the Wolverines this postseason.
• Michigan runners also excelled in the open race at Pre-Nationals, with Emma Sloan and Alice Hill battling to the line for the win. Sloan ultimately won by three-tenths of a second over Hill, but both women were emblematic of Michigan's superior depth and should factor into the Wolverines' postseason plans.
• Michigan was deeper than any other team at Pre-Nationals with six women in the top-50. Their spread of 54.6 seconds from VanderLende to No. 7 runner Micaela DeGenero was the second-best in the field, and the best among top-10-finishing squads.
A Look Ahead
Sunday, Nov. 3 -- at Big Ten Championships (Columbus, Ohio)
Friday, Nov. 15 -- at NCAA Great Lakes Regional (Madison, Wis.)
Saturday, Nov. 23 -- at NCAA Championships (Terre Haute, Ind.)
Players Mentioned
