DETROIT -- The Wayne State University men's and women's cross country teams will travel to Grand Rapids, Mich., for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Championship on Saturday, October 25.

LAST TIME OUT
WSU last raced at the SVSU Red October meet, with both the men's and women's squads placing first.  For the men, the Green and Gold had the event's top-three runners in Ian Lewis (Livonia, Mich. / Churchill), Parks Allen (Ithaca, Mich.), and Aidan Lobsinger (Grand Blanc, Mich. Flint Powers Catholic), while placing six total in the top 10.  On the women's side, three Wayne State student-athletes finished in the top five, as Remi Flanz (Eastpointe, Mich. / Fraser High School / Macomb Math Science and Technology Center) placed second, Reese Hansen (Grand Rapids, Mich. / City High Middle School / Ottawa Hills) nabbed fourth, and Paige McArdle (Davison, Mich.) finished fifth.

RACE OUTLOOK
The league meet will be held at the Calvin University Cross Country Course, with the women's 6K starting at 11:00 AM, followed by the men's 8K at 11:45 AM.  After the conclusion of the event, the GLIAC will announce its men's and women's Runner of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Coaching Staff of the Year.  In addition, the conference will name First and Second Team All-GLIAC recipients.  Only the top seven individuals from each team are Eligible for All-GLIAC Awards.

HEAD COACH GRANT LOFDAHL ON THE WOMEN'S RACE
"We knew going in that this season was going to be different, just in terms of the women we've graduated over the past couple of years and what they meant to the program.  These ladies have accepted the challenge to keep things rolling, and we've had a great mix of returners stepping up and newcomers making huge contributions."

"We've been second at the past three GLIAC meets, and our goal from the outset has been to stay in the top-2.  Northern Michigan, Saginaw Valley, Michigan Tech and others are going to make that very challenging, but we absolutely are going for it on Saturday.  This is the first time in a while that we haven't had a returning All-GLIAC runner competing, but the good news is that we have at least 5-6 people who have that capability.  Taylor Hopkins was one place away from All-GLIAC last year, and should be in the mix along with Robin Bresolin, Aubrey Migoski, Emilee Rudlaff, and Anna Gdowski.  Ava Peters is having a great season and is among the top freshmen in the region, and Ella Showerman's past few races have shown her potential impact as well."

"This is probably the deepest the conference has been in a decade, with four teams ranked in the top-7 in the region.  We are not one of those four, but these ladies love proving the doubters wrong, and I am confident in their abilities.  It will be a very fun race at Gainey."

COACH LOFDAHL ON THE MEN'S RACE
"This group of men has been locked-in from day one this fall, and they've gotten better and better as the season has progressed.  We are a bit light on experience with six of our twelve guys making their GLIAC debuts, but we are heavy on confidence and aerobic fitness."

"Sean Pettis was fairly close to making All-GLIAC as a freshman, and he is a stronger runner now as a sophomore.  Jared Platt is our most experienced runner in terms of championship races, and he's having a breakout year.  Glen Davis has been a revelation as a junior transfer, and we're really excited for his GLIAC debut.  Getting Ty Nagy back from an injury is a huge deal for us in championship season, and he looks ready to roll.  Our depth was something of a question mark in August, but at this point we feel it's a strength of this team.  Ethan Pruzinsky, Ian Lewis, Andrew Yax, Parks Allen, and really all twelve Warriors toeing the line on Saturday are training at a high level."

"Getting bumped down to fifth in the conference last season was a tough pill to swallow, and we set top-3 as the goal for this year.  We think that is a realistic goal for this group, and they're excited to get out there on Saturday and chase it down.  If we stick to the plan and compete as a team, we are going to have a good time."