The Warriors are hosting the GLIAC Championships on Nov. 4.

Men's Cross Country 10/31/2022 2:00:00 PM Zachary Manning, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Cross Country Teams Get Set for GLIAC Championships

Both Warrior squads finished third at last year's event.

DETROIT -- With the regular season in the rearview mirror, the Wayne State University men's and women's cross country teams will shift their focus to the GLIAC Championship meet. The Warriors will host the event at Willow Metropark this Friday (Nov. 4), with the women's race beginning at 11 AM and the men's race following at 11:45 AM.

LAST YEAR'S EVENT
Both Green and Gold squads had strong showings at last year's conference meet, as the two Warrior squads each secured third place. The men trailed only Grand Valley State and Michigan Tech, while the women were behind GVSU and Saginaw Valley State.

The men's team had four All-GLIAC performers, beginning with Ransom Allen, who finished fifth with a time of 25:11.4. He was honored with All-GLIAC First Team accolades. The Warriors received All-GLIAC Second Team performances from Trystan Thayer, Zac Truman and Eli DiCerbo. They all finished in the top 25 at the event.

On the women's side, the Warriors had three All-GLIAC performers. Charlene Yarema led WSU by finishing 18th with a time of 23:22.2. Joining her on the All-GLIAC Second Team were Reagan Justice and Ashley Defrain. All three athletes placed among the top 25 in the race.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
If rankings mean anything, the GLIAC Championship meet should be a tightly contested affair on both sides. In the men's race, three teams enter the postseason with top-25 rankings, which are released each week by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Grand Valley State is the highest-rated team in the men's race, checking in at No. 3 nationally. Michigan Tech is currently ranked No. 20 and Saginaw Valley State is listed at No. 23.

Regionally, the Midwest Region features five GLIAC men's teams. GVSU (No. 1), MTU (No. 4), SVSU (No. 5), Parkside (No.8) and Wayne State (No. 9) will all be vying for the top spot at the conference meet later this week.

On the women's side, the competition will also be tough, as four GLIAC schools rank among the nation's top 30. GVSU is sitting at No. 2, WSU is listed at No. 21, SVSU is ranked No. 25 and MTU is rated No. 27. Those are also the only four teams ranked in the Midwest Region. GVSU (No. 1), WSU (No. 4), SVSU (No. 5) and MTU (No. 6) were the top-four finishers at last year's conference championship meet.

LAST TIME OUT
Both Wayne State teams finished in the top five at the Warrior Challenge on Oct. 22. For the fourth straight season, the women's team claimed the top spot at the event, topping the field by more than 50 points. The entire scoring lineup for Wayne State was in the top 20. The Warriors were led by Ashley Defrain, who placed fifth with a time of 22:07.8. Thailyia Christensen (seventh) and Reagan Justice (eighth) also had top-10 finishes.

On the men's side, the Green and Gold finished fifth out of 12 teams. The Warriors trailed only Northwood, Edinboro, Parkside and Michigan Tech. Ransom Allen won the event for a second consecutive season, as he crossed the finish line in a time of 24:53.9. Tyler Buchanan was also strong, placing fifth with a time of 25:17.8.

REGULAR SEASON RECAP
The Wayne State cross country squads had strong regular-season performances and head into postseason action with some confidence. The women's team was consistently at the top of meets, never finishing below third in any meet this season. The Warriors opened the year by winning the Northwood Invitational before placing second at the Lock Haven Invitational. They were the top Division II team at the event, trailing only Division I Cornell.

Following that, the women's team had back-to-back third-place finishes at the Lansing Community College Invite and Lucian Rosa Invite. But the Warriors got back on track with a win at the Warrior Challenge on Oct. 22, dominating the 14-team field. They enter postseason action as a top-25 team nationally.

The men's team was a bit more erratic, as they dealt with injuries throughout the year. Like the women, the men's team opened the year with a win at the Northwood Invitational and a second-place finish at the Lock Haven Invitational. They trailed only Division I Cornell at that meet. From there, the Warriors placed second at the Lansing Community College Invite to close out September.

October was a bit of a struggle, as the Green and Gold didn't finish higher than third in either of their two meets. At the Lucian Rosa Invite, WSU was able to earn third place out of 12 teams. In the final meet of the regular season, the Green and Gold placed fifth out of 12 teams at the Warrior Challenge.

Wayne State is set to host the GLIAC Championships this Friday on the same course as the Warrior Challenge. The Warriors will then head back to Wisconsin for the NCAA Midwest Regional on Nov. 19.

NATIONAL ATTENTION
Both the men's and women's squads have been staples in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) regional and national polls throughout the season.

In the latest edition, the women's team checked in at No. 21 nationally and No. 4 in the Midwest Region. The men's team dropped out of the national rankings but WSU was able to secure the No. 9 spot in the Midwest Region.

FROM COACH LOFDAHL
"We are beyond excited to welcome all of the GLIAC schools to Wayne County and Willow Metropark for what should be a terrific conference championship meet. Our course is in fantastic shape, and the forecast looks promising for a nice to run and to watch the action at our spectator-friendly layout. It's been a lot of work to get everything ready, but things have come together for an exceptional championship experience this Friday.

Our women have been consistent, locked-in, and confident since Day One this fall -- actually I would say that applies to last track season and summer training as well. Now that championship season is here, we are excited to see them take the competitiveness up another notch or two. Our primary goal is to finish in the top-2, which would equal the best finish in program history. We also feel that we can put four, five, possibly even six runners inside the top-20 to earn all-GLIAC honors. It won't be easy with three other top-30 national squads competing, but we're ready to take them on!

The men's team hit a high point last November when we placed 15th at the NCAA Championships, and they've been through a lot of ups and downs since then. The past month or so has been challenging with injuries and other setbacks, but the guys are rebounding and feeling good now. We're ready to compete at a high level on our home course against four other teams that have appeared in the national rankings this fall. Another top-3 team finish and three or more all-GLIAC runners would be a good day for us."

UP NEXT
The Warriors will head to some familiar territory, as they will travel to Wisconsin for the NCAA Midwest Regional meet. WSU has already seen the course this season, as the Green and Gold raced at the Lucian Rosa Invite in early October. The regional meet will take place on Nov. 19 in Kenosha, Wis.

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