Chris Toloff isn’t labeled with any of the question marks that usually hover around true freshmen competing in Division I athletics.
The rookie runner for the MSU men’s cross country team is strong (he says he prefers courses with more hills to utilize his power), he’s talented (finishing second overall in MSU’s first race of the season), and he’s confident.
“I expect big things for myself this year,” Toloff said. “I expect to go to nationals - I expect the whole team to go to nationals.”
But with nationals still a couple months away, Toloff and the rest of the Spartans are focusing on today’s Spartan Invitational.
MSU will welcome Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Oakland, Wayne State, Akron, Northwood, Hillsdale and Lansing and Macomb community colleges to Forest Akers East Golf Course for today’s event.
The race - MSU’s only home event of the season - begins at 5:45 p.m. and Spartan head coach Jim Stintzi said the teams’ scores will not be computed, making the event more like a multi-team scrimmage.
Still, Stintzi said Eastern will have a target on its back after the Eagles finished in 20th place at last year’s NCAA Championships.
“Eastern has about three of their top seven runners back, plus a superstar recruit,” he said. “But our team has a chance to be good too. Realistically, we think we can finish in the top four in the Big Ten and in the top 20 in the country, if we stay healthy.”
MSU dominated its first meet of the year by claiming 12 of the top 17 spots at the Grand Valley Fall Classic on Aug. 31. Toloff led the way with his runner-up finish in 20:42.79.
“I’ve been running really well lately,” Toloff said. “Some of the older runners have an advantage over me because they’ve been in college training for a few years now. The training is kind of new to me, but it’s not a big deal.”
The Novi native said he missed Wednesday’s practice with soreness in his Achilles tendon, but he said he’ll be ready to go today.
Which is good news for Stintzi, who said he’ll look to Toloff as well as junior Ben Evans and sophomore Jason Mueller to lead the Spartans today and throughout the season.
“Chris is confident and with good reason,” Stintzi said. “He’s real talented and has a good work ethic, and he has a chance to be real good this year. He could be All-American if he stays healthy.
“But talking about it and doing it are two different things.”
Toloff said he doesn’t know much about MSU’s competition in today’s invitational, nor does he care to.
“You hear a little bit about the guys they have back, but that’s about it,” he said. “You just go out there with the expectation that you’re better than them and go from there.”
Which brings us back to Toloff’s youthful confidence.
“There are some older guys that I’m not quite ready to take a run at yet, but I’ll definitely give them a race,” he said.
