Saturday, November 22
Columbia, Mo.
All Day
Michigan State University
vs
NCAA Championships
Michigan State Cross Country Closes Out the Season at the NCAA Championship
11/21/2025 3:13:00 PM | Cross Country
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State cross country closes out the 2025 season at the NCAA Championships at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course on Saturday, Nov. 22 in Columbia, Missouri.
The No. 17 men's cross country was awarded an at-large bid to compete at the NCAA Championships, while All-American Rachel Forsyth was compete as an individual on the women's side.
The women will compete in a 6K race at 10:20 a.m. ET, while the men will run a 10K race at 11:10 a.m. ET.
The Gans Creek course is a very familiar course for MSU. The Spartans will travel back to Columbia for their second race at the Gan Creek Cross Country Course. Earlier this season, MSU competed at the Gans Creek Classic on Sept. 26 where the men finished 10th.
This is the men's first appearance as a team since the 2021 season. Last season, Riley Hough competed as an individual last year. In his first NCAA Championship, he had a strong showing finishing 80th with a time of 29:47.2.
At the Great Lakes Regional on Nov. 14, the Michigan State men matched last year's performance, finishing fourth with 103 points. Hough once again was the Spartans' top runner, finishing 10th, crossing the line in 29:58.11 in the 10k race. Standout freshman Thomas Westphal was 12th in his first collegiate 10k (30:06.0). Jack Pennewell ended 22nd with a time of 30:28.3. Hough, Westphal and Pennewell all earned All-Region honors. Hough and Pennewell both repeated as All-Region honorees.
The Spartans join Michigan and Wisconsin as Big Ten men's teams competing in the NCAA Championships.
Forsyth finished third at the Great Lakes Regional to earn an at-large spot. She finished with a season-best time of 19:45.2. Forsyth also repeated with All-Region honors. Last season at the NCAA Championships, Forsyth was 16th, earning All-American honors.
The No. 17 men's cross country was awarded an at-large bid to compete at the NCAA Championships, while All-American Rachel Forsyth was compete as an individual on the women's side.
The women will compete in a 6K race at 10:20 a.m. ET, while the men will run a 10K race at 11:10 a.m. ET.
The Gans Creek course is a very familiar course for MSU. The Spartans will travel back to Columbia for their second race at the Gan Creek Cross Country Course. Earlier this season, MSU competed at the Gans Creek Classic on Sept. 26 where the men finished 10th.
This is the men's first appearance as a team since the 2021 season. Last season, Riley Hough competed as an individual last year. In his first NCAA Championship, he had a strong showing finishing 80th with a time of 29:47.2.
At the Great Lakes Regional on Nov. 14, the Michigan State men matched last year's performance, finishing fourth with 103 points. Hough once again was the Spartans' top runner, finishing 10th, crossing the line in 29:58.11 in the 10k race. Standout freshman Thomas Westphal was 12th in his first collegiate 10k (30:06.0). Jack Pennewell ended 22nd with a time of 30:28.3. Hough, Westphal and Pennewell all earned All-Region honors. Hough and Pennewell both repeated as All-Region honorees.
The Spartans join Michigan and Wisconsin as Big Ten men's teams competing in the NCAA Championships.
Forsyth finished third at the Great Lakes Regional to earn an at-large spot. She finished with a season-best time of 19:45.2. Forsyth also repeated with All-Region honors. Last season at the NCAA Championships, Forsyth was 16th, earning All-American honors.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
Competitive Drive | Spartans All-Access
Wednesday, October 09
Spartans All-Access | Setting the Tone
Thursday, August 15
Spartans All-Access: Lauren Freeland
Wednesday, November 15
Spartans All-Access: 2023 XC Big Tens
Tuesday, October 31