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2008 NCAA Regionals Preview
Nov. 14, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
All 21 Big Ten men’s and women’s cross country teams will compete at NCAA Regionals this weekend in hopes of moving forward to the NCAA Championships. NCAA Regionals take place Saturday, Nov. 15. Six men’s and six women’s squads will participate in the Great Lakes Region, including Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin, with Purdue serving as the event’s host. Penn State’s men’s and women’s teams will represent the Big Ten in the Mid-Atlantic Region at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J. The Midwest Region features four Big Ten schools with Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and the Northwestern women participating in the event hosted by Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla. Big Ten w omen’s cross country currently houses seven nationally ranked squads, besting all other conferences. Leading the charge is No. 7 Minnesota, followed closely by No. 8 Wisconsin and No. 10 Michigan State. No. 14 Illinois, No. 17 Michigan, No. 20 Iowa and No. 25 Penn State round out the ranked conference contingent. Spartan senior Nicole Bush recently claimed top honors in the Big Ten by winning the individual title at this year’s conference championships. At the 2007 NCAA Championships, Bush placed fifth among all other competitors and looks to stand atop the podium in 2008. On the men ’s side, the Big Ten has five ranked teams in the Top-30 coaches poll. No. 6 Wisconsin leads the conference march as the Badgers won their tenth consecutive Big Ten Championships crown, holding the conference’s longest winning streak for cross country titles. No. 9 Michigan and No. 14 Minnesota will look to make some noise as both teams are loaded with talent. The Gophers’ Hassan Mead piloted the field of Big Ten runners at this year’s conference event, breaking the tape nine seconds faster than the second-place finisher, while teammate Chris Rombough crossed the line third. Michigan will rely on depth to make it to the NCAA meet in Terre Haute, Ind., as the Wolverines placed four harriers in the top 12 at the 2008 Big Ten Championships. No. 28 Indiana and No. 29 Penn State complete the set of ranked conference teams.
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