Michigan
Big Ten Championships
VanderLende Runner-Up, U-M Fourth in Hotly Contested B1G Championships
10/29/2021 2:08:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
Site: State College, Pa. (Penn State Blue / White Golf Courses)
Event: Big Ten Championships
Distance: 6 kilometers (3.73 miles)
U-M Team Finish: 4th of 14 teams (85 points)
Top U-M Individual: Ericka VanderLende, 2nd (20:35.3)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Nov. 12 at NCAA Great Lakes Regional (Evansville, Ind.)
• Complete Results (PDF) | Photo Gallery
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The national No. 9 University of Michigan women's cross country team finished fourth overall in a tightly contested Big Ten Championships race on Friday (Oct. 29) at a cold, rainy Penn State.
After leading the intermediate 2.5-mile team standings in the six-kilometer (3.73-mile) race on the grounds of the Penn State Blue / White Golf Courses, the Wolverines slipped to fourth in the final mile-and-a-quarter with 85 points.
Only 13 points separated the top four teams in the standings, as No. 8 Minnesota took the title with 72 points, followed by No. 22 Wisconsin with 78 and No. 20 Michigan State with 82.
Ericka VanderLende led the way individually, notching a heartbreaking runner-up finish after leading the race with only seconds remaining before the line. She was overtaken by Minnesota's Megan Hasz in the final steps, missing out on the individual title by 0.8 of a second in 20:35.3.
The result garnered her first-team All-Big Ten honors for the second time in her career, and she was joined on the award podium as a first-teamer by sixth-place Kayla Windemuller (20:45.5). She earned the honor for the first time in her career.
Rounding out the scoring lineup for the Wolverines were 15th-place Katelynne Hart (21:07.9) -- who missed out on second-team All-Big Ten honors by 0.2 of a second -- as well as 27th-place Anne Forsyth (21:20.7) and 36th-place Alice Hill (21:31.7). Samantha Tran and Samantha Saenz were nearby in 37th and 39th, respectively.
The Wolverines were in good position at 2.5 miles, checking in with 59 points to Minnesota's 70, Wisconsin's 90 and Michigan State's 95 -- powered by second-, fourth- and eighth-place positions from VanderLende, Windemuller and Hart, respectively. Michigan had the fastest average split of any team in the field between two miles and 2.5 miles.
By 3 miles, however, Minnesota had pulled slightly ahead of the Wolverines, 68-69, with Wisconsin and Michigan State also starting to move forward to 82 and 93 points.
The Wolverines could not hold their spot in the team standings over the final three-quarters of a mile, though VanderLende moved up two spots to second, Windemuller stepped up one to sixth, Forsyth improved two spots to 27th and Hill stepped up five spots to 36th.
In two weeks, Michigan will compete at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Nov. 12 in Evansville, Ind., with berths to the NCAA Championships on the line.
Full results for the Wolverines who ran on Friday are listed below.
Michigan Results
2. Ericka VanderLende -- 20:35.3
6. Kayla Windemuller -- 20:45.5
15. Katelynne Hart -- 21:07.9
27. Anne Forsyth -- 21:20.7
36. Alice Hill -- 21:31.7
37. Samantha Tran -- 21:33.3
39. Samantha Saenz -- 21:35.0
47. Julia Vanitvelt -- 21:49.6
57. Aurora Rynda -- 21:55.3
Team Standings
1. No. 6 Minnesota -- 72 points
2. No. 22 Wisconsin -- 78 points
3. No. 20 Michigan State -- 82 points
4. No. 9 Michigan -- 85 points
5. Indiana (RV) -- 152 points
6. No. 25 Illinois -- 172 points
7. Northwestern -- 180 points
8. Ohio State -- 187 points
9. Purdue -- 235 points
10. Penn State (RV) -- 269 points
11. Nebraska -- 289 points
12. Iowa -- 300 points
13. Rutgers -- 357 points
14. Maryland -- 421 points
Players Mentioned
