Cross Country Prepares for Big Ten Championships

2021 BIG TEN CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Date: Friday, Oct. 29
Time: 10:45 a.m. ET (Men's) ; 11:45 a.m. ET (Women's)
Location: PSU Blue & White Golf Courses (University Park, Pa.)
Live Results: PT Timing
Watch: B1G+
Tournament Central: BigTen.org

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Following the programs' successes at the Griak and Nuttycombe Invitationals, the Michigan State men's and women's cross country teams are set to run in the 2021 Big Ten Championships on Friday, Oct. 29.

The No. 20 Spartan women seek to claim their third-straight conference title, while the Spartan men will try to win their first B1G championship since 1971 at Penn State's Blue & White Golf Courses in University Park, Pennsylvania.

The men's 8k race will begin at 10:45 a.m., with the women's 6k race following at 11:45 a.m.

"Our intention is to compete as a team, embrace adversity and be forward thinking this Friday," said Director of Cross Country/Track & Field Lisa Breznau.

For the 20th-ranked MSU women, No. 6 Minnesota, No. 9 Michigan and No. 22 Wisconsin join them from the USTFCCCA national coaches poll in making the trek out to the conference race. On the men's side, the Green and White are running against ranked foes in No. 10 Wisconsin, No. 15 Michigan and No. 29 Minnesota.

The Spartan women have the chance to become the first Big Ten school to win three consecutive women's cross country titles since rival Michigan from 2016-18. Seniors Jenna Magness (third) and Lynsie Gram (11th), redshirt junior Makayla Perez (14th) and junior Katie Osika (16th) are among the 23 returnees from last season's top 25 finishers in the women's race. Graduate student Casey Mossholder also returns after a 27th-place finish from a season ago.

After missing last season's Big Ten race due to illness, senior Morgan Beadlescomb will attempt to claim the top individual spot after a third-place finish in the 2019 race. From the top-25 men's finishers at the 2020-21 race, junior James Uhlenberg (seventh) and sophomore Brendan Favazza (14th) are two of the 21 conference runners that return, while senior Steven Stine (27th) and junior Fraser Wilson (29th) are both back after nearly missing the top-25 in January for the fourth-place Spartans.

"Our returners have a significant hand in creating a steady environment for our teams," added Breznau. "They'll keep the group calm and help us to focus on what we can control. We are excited to race. The Big Ten Championships are special and our teams are going to revel in the experience."

Magness and Gram have been pacing MSU the entire fall. Magness followed a first-place finish at the 6K Spartan Invitational by claiming second at the Griak 6K and taking fourth in the Nuttycombe 6K at a personal record of 20:05.6, while Gram placed fourth at the Spartan Invite before taking 13th at the Griak and setting a personal record of 20:29.2 in a 19th-place finish at the Nuttycombe.

Beadlescomb has done the same on the men's team, winning the 8K Spartan Invite and then finishing third in the Griak 8K before posting a PR time of 23:32.2 to claim eighth in the Nuttycombe 8K. Redshirt junior Abdi Ahmed is also trending well after a 33rd-place finish at last season's Big Ten race, taking fifth in the Spartan Invite and then finishing 22nd at the Griak.

"We continue to ask our student-athletes to grow and learn throughout the season," concluded Breznau. "Friday is another step in that process."

Entering Friday, the MSU women hold eight Big Ten titles all-time, while the men have the second-most conference titles of any B1G men's program at 14.

The Big Ten Cross Country Championships will be aired live on Big Ten Plus beginning at 10:45 a.m.

Following the Big Ten Championships, Michigan State travels to Evansville, Indiana for the NCAA Great Lakes Regionals on Friday, Nov. 12.

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Players Mentioned

Abdi-Fetah Ahmed

Morgan Beadlescomb

Brendan Favazza

Lynsie Gram

Jenna Magness

Casey Mossholder

Katie Osika

Makayla Perez

Steven Stine

James Uhlenberg

Fraser Wilson