Spartans Race Past Ranked Teams at PSU National Open

Friday, October 12

State College, Penn.

Michigan State University

Penn State National Open

10/12/2018 4:10:00 PM | Cross Country

Men's Results Women's Results

The men's and women's teams both ran well in tough conditions Friday.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Michigan State cross country team turned in strong performances at the Penn State National Open Friday on the PSU Blue/White Golf Courses.

Running on a wet and muddy course that features several hills, the No. 14 Spartan women finished in second place with 87 points, behind No. 19 and host, Penn State, who won the race with 62 points. The MSU men, who are receiving votes in the latest USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll, finished fourth with 181 points, coming in ahead of ranked opponents Georgetown (No. 29) and Virginia Tech (No. 30).

"I don't know that today could have gone any better," MSU Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Walt Drenth said. "The mental effort, execution of our race plan, and physical effort from both teams was outstanding. This is a really hard cross country course, and it was muddy. I felt like everybody rose to the occasion today."

Maggie Farrell (20:32) and Annie Fuller (20:39) came in second, and third, respectively, in the women's 6,000-meter race to pace the Spartan women's team. Fuller's time was two seconds off a season-best on a day when sloppy course conditions caused slower times. Amber Way was the third Spartan across the line in 21:07, while Mackenzie Weiler and Lindsey Rudden both finished with a time of 21:13. Jeralyn Poe made her first start of the season, crossing the line in 21:19, and Jenna Magness rounded out the MSU times in 21:33.

"Our women's team is almost interchangeable right now, we have a lot of people stepping up," Drenth said. "You can see growth in a lot of places. Annie ran really well, and it was great to have Jeralyn back today. She's going to keep getting better and better over the next few weeks."

Justine Kiprotich turned in the top time on the men's side, finishing the 5.2 mile race in 25:21 to place 16th overall. Matthew Thomas and Winter Romeyn weren't far behind, crossing the line in 25:37, and 25:41, respectively. Joe Riordan (25:56) and Daniel Sims (25:57) were the next Spartans to finish, followed by Brian Kettle and Ty Buckley, who both finished in 26:18.

"We came looking to score points on the men's side for the NCAA's, and we beat some ranked teams today," Drenth said. "I'm really proud of the guy's because they were a little short-handed. Winter really stepped up today, and we're going to keep improving on the men's side. I'm really optimistic as we go forward."

Up Next: The Spartans return to the course Friday, Oct. 19, for the EMU Classic hosted by Eastern Michigan.