Cross Country Concludes Regular Season at EMU Fall Classic

Oct. 21, 2010

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State cross country team returns to action this weekend when it concludes its pre-championship season on Saturday, Oct. 23 at the EMU Fall Classic in Dexter, Mich. Action begins at 10:45 a.m. for the Spartans with the women's 5k race followed by the men's 5k race at 11:15 a.m.

Hudson Mills Metro Park in Dexter will play host to this weekend's action. MSU will be joined by Eastern Michigan, Michigan, Ohio State, Kent State, Toledo, Ferris State, Oakland, Mott CC, Macomb CC, Northwood, Trine and Frontline Racing Club.

Where We Rank
In the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) weekly poll, the women find themselves ranked 16th after their strong performance at the Pre-Nationals Invitational. Regionally, the women continue to sit atop the Great Lakes Region standings while also holding the best national ranking in the Big Ten Conference.

On the men's side, MSU is currently 33rd in the USTFCCCA rankings. The men are also fourth in the Great Lakes Region, sitting behind Indiana, Wisconsin and Notre Dame. The Spartans are the fourth-highest team ranked in the conference based on the national poll.

Conference Recognition
Over the course of the 2010 season, MSU has seen a runner named Big Ten Runners of the Week on five occasions. Most recently, sophomore Kristen Smith (Clarkston, Mich.) and freshman Travis Borchard (Saginaw, Mich.) were named Big Ten Runners of the Week for the week of Oct.12. The sweep gave MSU a total of five runners of the week distinctions this season, leading all Big Ten schools.

Smith earned her first career honor after she turned in a fifth-place showing at the Michigan Intercollegiate Championships in Rochester, Mich. Smith's time of 18:17.4 is a career-best mark, and allowed her to earn All-Michigan distinction this weekend.

It also marked Borchard's first weekly Big Ten honor, and the second MSU male this season. Borchard turned in a time of 26:50.3 at the Michigan Intercollegiate Championships. The honor marked the first time Borchard had been the top MSU finisher at a race.

As a result of her two solid races this season, senior Emily MacLeod has received Big Ten Runner of the Week honors after two of the three events she competed in this season. MacLeod earned the honor after placing second at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 2 when she turned in a career-best time of 20:15.8. MacLeod earned the first honor of the season after the Spartan Invitational on Friday, Sept. 17 when she won the event for the second straight year with a time of 20:46.

Following the Spartan Invitational, MacLeod was joined by junior Aaron Simoneau as male runner of the week following his performance at the lone Green and White home race of the season. Simoneau earned his first career conference distinction after tracking down Nick Willis, a silver medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 1,500m, for the his first collegiate win. The Traverse City, Mich., native, bested his previous fastest race by 50 seconds to finish the 8k race in 24:28.Simoneau and MacLeod gave MSU the only weekly sweep by a school this season.

Last Time Out
The Spartans traveled to Terre Haute, Ind. on Saturday, Oct. 16 for the NCAA Pre-Nationals Invitational, a preview of the NCAA Championships. The women opened the day in the 6,000-meter blue race with a team score of 279 for a sixth-place finish among 38 programs. The men followed in the 8,000-meter blue race with an 18th-place mark (521 points) in the 35 school race.

Next Up
The Spartans open their championship season on Sunday, Oct. 31 when they travel to Madison, Wis. for the 2010 Big Ten Championships.