Cross Country to Compete at Big Ten Championships

Oct. 30, 2009

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Spencer | Carlie

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Championship season begins for the Michigan State cross country team as it travels to State College, Pa. to compete in the Big Ten Championships on Sunday, Nov. 1. The men's 5.2-mile race is scheduled to begin at 10:45 a.m., with the women's 6K race following at 11:45 a.m. The women's team, who is currently ranked second in Great Lakes Region and 27th nationally, had an impressive showing last season at the 2008 Big Ten Championships, finishing third as a team with standout Nicole Bush becoming only the fourth Big Ten Champion on the women's side in school history. Redshirt junior Emily MacLeod (Loveland, Ohio) finished fifth for the Spartans in last year's event, placing 29th overall.

The women's team enters this weekend's competition after competing last weekend at the EMU Fall Open. Senior Leah Elenbaas (Greenville, Mich.) finished the 5k with a time of 19:02 for a 10th-place finish, and first place for the team. Junior Jennifer Yee (Troy, Mich.) and redshirt senior Diane Hamilton (Battle Creek, Mich.) finished second and third for the team, respectively.

On the men's side, the team enters Sunday's race looking to improve upon last season's sixth-place finish at the 2008 Big Ten Championships. Senior Spencer Beatty (Harbor Spring, Mich.) finished 20th-overall with a time of 25:07.7, leading all Spartan men.

The team concluded action at the EMU Fall Open last weekend as well, with sophomore Aaron Winter (Rockford, Ill.) finishing with a time of 16:03 as the Spartans' top male finisher. Sophomore Mike Katsefaras (Pinckney, Mich.) and junior Stephen Humes (Troy, Mich.) concluded the race within one second of each other, finishing second and third for the team with times of 16:18 and 16:19, respectively.

In last season's Big Ten Championships, Minnesota claimed the top spot on the women's side, while Wisconsin finished first on the men's side.

For complete results following Sunday's race visit msuspartans.com