DETROIT -- The Wayne State University cross country programs will head to Louisville, Ky., to compete in the Louisville Cross Country Classic at the E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park on Saturday, Oct. 3. The shotgun start for the men's 8K will take place at 9 a.m., followed by the women's 5K race beginning at 9:45 a.m.
QUOTING COACH LOFDAHL
"This is the biggest meet and the highest level of competition that we'll see in the regular season, and we are excited for it. The Louisville course is flat and fast, and it looks like the weather may be conducive to fast times this year. That isn't the most important thing by the long shot in cross country, but it is fun to go fast. Our men's team is still not at full strength, but we're getting closer. Senior captain
Ty Nagy will be competing, and he will help lead a group that has been training at a high level. I think that
Griffin Conway,
Andrew Yax and
Seth Pianga, among others, are ready to run fast. This will be a good test for our youthful group of women, as the Warrior lineup includes three freshmen and three sophomores. Senior captain
Rachel Felstow has made tremendous improvements as a cross country runner this fall, along with
Katie Rohrer who is putting in some awesome workouts. This could be a breakthrough meet for our ladies. Some of the best DII teams in the country will be in our races, along with a majority of DI squads. There is nothing quite like a Saturday morning in October with the smell of fall in the air!"
Men's Squad
The men's team heads to Louisville after taking second place as a team at both the Tommy T. vs. W the Warrior Cross Country Classic and the Lansing C.C. Stars Invitational.
Sean Pettis (Fremont, Mich.) paced WSU in the opening weekend, while securing fourth overall with a time of 20:38.00. At the Lansing C.C. Stars Invitational,
Lucas Ames (Oxford, Mich. [Mott C.C.]) finished first in the field with a time of 26:17.26.
Women's Squad
The women are off to an undefeated start after earning back-to-back first-place team finishes at the Tommy T. vs. W The Warrior Cross Country Classic and the Lansing C.C. Stars Invitational.
Ava Peters (Livonia, Mich. / Franklin) won the squad's opening meet, the Tommy T. vs. W The Warrior Classic, finishing with a time of 18:43.50 and
Reese Hansen (Grand Rapids, Mich. / Ottawa Hills) crossing the finish line first out of 109 runners at the Lansing C.C. Stars Invitational (19:35.26).
USTFCCCA Regional Rankings
The WSU women's cross country program stays in sixth in the week two USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Rankings after back-to-back team victories to open the season. GLIAC opponent Grand Valley State remains at No. 1 on the regional poll, while Saginaw Valley State (5), Michigan Tech (7) and Northern Michigan (8) hold down spots in top 10 rankings. The Warriors are also receiving votes in the NCAA DII Women's Cross Country National Poll.
On the men's side of the USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Rankings, WSU still sits outside of the top 10 schools after claiming the No. 10 spot in the preseason rankings. League foes Grand Valley State (1), Saginaw Valley State (3) and Michigan Tech (9) continue to see their names among the top 10 in the regional rankings.
UP NEXT
WSU travels to Kenosha, Wis., to compete in the Lucian Rosa Invite hosted by Wisconsin Parkside on Saturday, Oct. 10.
