The Big Ten women’s cross country championships last weekend was a head-to-head race against MSU (No. 1), Wisconsin (No. 6) and Michigan (No. 8). This weekend they head to Madison, Wis. to compete against these teams again at the Great Lakes Regional Championship.
Two of U-M’s top five runners, including sophomore Erin Finn who won the Big Ten championship race last year, did not compete at Big Ten, which made Wisconsin MSU’s ultimate contender.
Sophomore Sarah Disanza of Wisconsin finished between MSU’s redshirt senior Leah O’Connor and redshirt sophomore Rachele Schulist. Disanza finished less than two seconds behind O’Connor, making O’Connor the Big Ten champion . According to Big Ten cross country analyst Dave Hunter, it was “two women battling it out for the win.”
“I think our team really pulled it together. Everyone knew what they had to do and focused on running as a team. There are always hard parts in the race and you have to mentally stick with it,” Schulist said. “I give Leah so much credit because I know that at the front she was battling (Disanza) and she stuck with it and didn’t give in.”
The women’s team walked away with the Big Ten championship title.
“I think that day they did a good job of having the appropriate level of energy and confidence going into the meet,” assistant coach Lisa Senakiewich said. “We just want them to perform consistently well and keep bringing up their confidence and their sense of purpose and remember that this is supposed to be fun.”
The Spartans will have the opportunity to race with Wisconsin and Michigan at one more time at regionals before the NCAA championships on Nov. 22.
“I love the pressure of big meets. It’s fun and it’s what I look forward to and what the team looks forward to all year,” O’Connor said. “It’s when things really start to matter and it tests you as a competitor.”
The top two placing teams at regionals automatically qualify for the NCAA National Championship, while other teams can be bid on depending on their performance throughout their season.
“They’ve learned a lot from previous races and now they can start to apply that to these last meets of the season,” Senakiewich said. “It’s really just a time to enjoy the opportunity that the have.”
Hunter thinks the regionals may be an easy victory for the women Spartans — their chances of heading to Terre Haute, Ind. for nationals is likely.
Redshirt junior Caleb Rhynard led the men’s team to their fifth place win at the Big Ten championships. According to Senakiewich, the men have improved every week and their dedication and teamwork is showing through in their racing.
“I’m ready to see how we can do as a team and stack up against other teams. It’s good competition and it just makes you go faster,” Schulist said. “It’s time to see what we can do.”
