Nov. 12, 2009
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. 14. 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 Indiana 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 the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Md.. The Midwest Region features four Big Ten schools with Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and the Northwestern women participating in the event hosted by Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo.
Big Ten women's cross country currently houses six nationally ranked squads. Leading the charge is No. 11 Penn State, followed closely by No. 13 Illinois No. 17 Minnesota. No. 23 MIchigan, No. 26 Michigan State, and No. 30 Iowa round out the ranked conference contingent. Nittany Lion senior Bridget Franek recently claimed top honors in the Big Ten by winning the individual title at this year's conference championships, followed closely by Ilinois' Angela Bizzarri in second place. The Illini senior placed sixth in last year's NCAA Championship and looks to return to the winner's podium agains this season.
On the men 's side, the Big Ten has three ranked teams in the Top-30 coaches poll. No. 10 Wisconsin leads the conference march as the Badgers won their 11th consecutive Big Ten Championships crown, holding the conference's longest winning streak for cross country titles. No. 28 Ohio State and No. 29 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 for the second-straight season at this year's conference event, to earn back-to-back Big Ten Athlete of the Year laurels. Wisconsin will rely on depth to make it to the NCAA meet in Terre Haute, Ind., as the Baders placed five harriers in the top eight at the 2009 Big Ten Championships.
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