Cross Country

Oct. 19, 2011

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State cross country team wraps up the regular season on Friday, Oct. 21 at the EMU Fall Classic in Dexter, Mich. The race marks the final competition for the Green and White prior to the championship season. Action at the Hudson Mills Metropark is schedule to start at 5:30 p.m. with the women's 5k race followed by the men's 5k race at 6 p.m.

Where We Rank
In the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) weekly poll, the women find themselves ranked 15th after their strong performance at the Roy Griak 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. This mark's the highest ranking for the women since Nov. 18, 2008, when MSU finished the season ranked No. 13 nationally.

On the men's side, MSU is currently sixth in the USTFCCCA Great Lakes regional rankings.

Conference Recognition
Junior Shaka Dukes and sophomore Olivia Sydow of the Michigan State cross country team were both been named Big Ten Cross Country Runner of the Week by the conference office on Tuesday, Oct. 11. Both individuals finished tops for the Spartans at the Michigan Intercollegiate Championships to earn All-Michigan honors.

Last Time Out
MSU finished action at the 2011 Wisconsin adidas Invitational in Madison, Wis., at the Thomas Zimmer Championships Cross Country Course on Friday, Oct. 14.

Overall, the women placed ninth overall among a field of 44 squads with 362 points. The Spartans finished ahead of three squads currently ranked in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's weekly top-30 poll. Senior Carlie Green paced the Green and White with a time of 20:48.0, good enough for 38th overall.

The Spartan men suffered a bit of trouble in the early portion of the race. With a few kilometers into the competition, four of the seven MSU runners were tripped up by an opposing runner, causing them each to fall to the ground, allowing roughly 150 runners to pass the pile.

After dealing with a rough start, junior Kevin Yarnell paced the Spartans with his time of 24:45.3 to finish 91st overall. The Green and White saw a pair of seniors follow up as the next two runners to finish. Joe Dimambro clocked in at 25:01.5 (137th) and Aaron Simoneau turned in a time of 25:04.0 (143rd). Three of the final four runners for MSU to finish were freshmen.

Next Up
The Spartans open the championship season with the 2011 Big Ten Championships in Urbana, Ill., hosted by the University of Illinois. Racing is scheduled to kick-off at 11:45 a.m. ET.

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