Nov. 14, 2009
The Big Ten concludes action at the 2009 NCAA Cross Country Regionals with all 21conference teams competing at three different meets among their respective regions. Five conference squads garnered automatic berths to the NCAA Championships by virtue of their top-two finishes in regional competition.
The Wisconsin men’s cross country team earned a first-place team finish in the Great Lakes Region, while Michigan State claimed the runner-up spot to capture the remaining automatic qualifying bid. The Ohio State Buckeyes rounded out the top three positions, and are in solid position to receive an at-large bid to the national meet.
Meanwhile, two-time Big Ten individual champion Hassan Mead cruised to his second-consecutive Midwest Regional title, crossing the finish line 28 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor. The Golden Gophers finished fourth as a team and will join the remaining conference squads in awaiting their NCAA Championship fate until selections are announced Sunday evening.
On the women’s side Midwest Regional competition shaped up similar to last year’s standings with Minnesota once against earning the top spot, finishing 26 points ahead of runner-up Illinois, which placed four runners in the top 25 to compile 86 tallies. Illini senior Angela Bizzarri won the six-kilometer race on Saturday with a time of 20:07.5 and earned All-Region honors for the fourth consecutive year.
Additionally, Ohio State clinched its first ever trip to the NCAA championships with a second-place finish at the NCAA Great Lakes regional finals. Four other women’s team also place in the top-five in their respective regions, including Indiana (4th, Great Lakes), Michigan (3rd Great Lakes), Michigan State (5th Great Lakes) and Penn State (4th Mid-Atlantic) and are poised to earn one of the 13 remaining at-large spots.
The NCAA Cross Country Championships are set for Monday, Nov. 23, in Terre Haute, Ind., on the campus of Indiana State University.
Look below for complete results from each regional competition:
Great Lakes Region
Men's Reults
Women's Results
Mid-Atlantic Region
Men's Reults
Women's Results
Midwest Region
Men's Reults
Women's Results
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