Spartan Cross Country Set to Race Against Top Competition at Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on Friday

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State men's and women's cross country joins many of the top teams in the country on Friday, Oct. 18 at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison, Wisconsin, for the 11th-annual Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational.

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Entering its 11th year, the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational Presented by Under Armour has established itself as one of the nation's premier collegiate meets, drawing teams from every NCAA region across the nation. Michigan State has competed in the invitational since 2009, when the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course opened.

"As far as preparation is concerned, this gives us a glimpse of what it's going to be like at the National Championships; a really strong glimpse, in terms of the quality and depth of the field," Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Walt Drenth said. "I think that experience is really important for everyone that has a potential to be in the NCAA Championships. Maybe most importantly, we qualify by beating teams out of our region, so you see teams from all over the country and the value in that for us is we have to beat some of those teams. Our goal as a program, both genders, is to go to the National Championships every year."

The 2019 Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational will feature four races this year, beginning with the men's and women's "B" races, followed by the "A" championship races. Teams are permitted to run only seven athletes in the "A" race, with 35 teams competing, and an unlimited amount of athletes in the "B" races.

The women's "B" race kicks off the meet at 12 p.m. ET, followed by the men's "B" race at 12:40 p.m. ET. The women's "A" race 6k will begin at 1:20 p.m. ET and the men's "A" race 8k will conclude the meet at 2 p.m.

The No. 10-ranked Michigan State women's cross country team joins 20 teams that are ranked in the latest USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll and five of the other current top 10 teams.

On the men's side, there are 19 ranked teams from the latest USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll, including six of the top 10 teams in the country that will traverse the course.

The No. 1-ranked teams in the country on both sides are among the teams competing on Friday; No. 1 Arkansas on the women's side and No. 1 Northern Arizona on the men's side.

Many veteran runners are familiar with the Zimmer Championship Course, as it was the site of the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 2018, where the Spartan women finished in 11^th. This season, the course will also be the site of the 2019 NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Friday, Nov. 15.

"There are some advantages, just in terms of decision making," Drenth said. "I think that for us, we've been on the course so much that I think the coaches and I can really lend a lot of insight whether we run it multiple times or not. We're going there as much as anything because it's a fair, open place to run and at the end, it sorts out who the better athletes are."

Last time out, Michigan State cross country traveled to Virginia for the Panorama Farms Invitational on Sept. 28, which resulted in the third-consecutive first-place finish on the women's side and a second-place finish on the men's side, only behind then-ranked No. 22 Virginia.

"l think that we've seen some growth out of our younger athletes," Drenth said. "I think we've seen some follow-through stuff and some development of our depth. I think we have gained some confidence in training, too. Some people that we think have a real chance to help us at the front-end of our team, I felt like there was some good progress. From that standpoint, we're optimistic about seeing how our depth looks and our quality at the front."

Redshirt-senior Annie Fuller was the Spartan women top finisher, placing second in the 6k race, clocking in at 20:25.3. Michigan State had eight runners in the top 16, resulting in a first-place finish with 42 points, including senior Jeralyn Poe who also placed in the top five.

On the men's side, junior Morgan Beadlescomb won his second-consecutive individual title in the 8k, posting a time of 23:58.7. Freshman Abdi Ahmed, senior Matthew Thomas and senior Winter Romeyn rounded out the top 25 for the Spartans.

Spartan Cross Country Set to Race Against Top Competition at Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on Friday

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Players Mentioned

Abdi-Fetah Ahmed

Morgan Beadlescomb

Annie Fuller

Jeralyn Poe

Winter Romeyn

Matthew Thomas