MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
RUNNING CLUB
Michigan State Women Take Third at Nationals, Men Take Tenth
Highest ever team finishes at Nationals
NIRCA XC Nationals in East Lansing, MI
November 15th, 2014
It was a crisp and bitterly cold Saturday morning in East Lansing, weather that nobody seemed eager to venture into. A light snow had dusted the ground overnight and clung into the early hours of the morning. The temperature was down below freezing with a slight wind, making it all the more frigid. But none of that mattered this particular morning, for it was time for NIRCA Cross Country Nationals.
The action packed meet kicked off early in the morning at Forest Akers East golf course with the Open/Alumni Cross Country 5k. The Michigan State Running Club had a strong showing with club alumni Bennet Prud’homme and Eric Loveland. The pair of former club runners crossed the line one after the other, with Prud’homme beating out Loveland at the line (17:16, 17:19, respectively). Also sporting the Green and White in the open race was Andrea Zuchora.
The rest of the women’s field would consist of Sharayah Macomber (129th, 29:26), Katy Gwizdala (133rd, 29:45), Jessica Siegler (145th, 29:56), Annie Grove (169th, 30:40), Danielle Wielgus (185th, 31:32), Jessica Plemmons (187th, 31:48), Madison McLean (191st, 32:21), Emily O’Rourke (208th, 34:13), and Aliza Weiss (219th, 38:01).
The women’s B team finished in 6th place with an average time of 27:01 for their scoring runners.
The Spartan men sent their seven fastest runners to battle in the men’s A 8k race. Graduate student Colin Riley led the Spartans with an impressive 16th place finish in a time of 26:40. Senior Mark Choate was not far behind, crossing the line in 26:52, good for 29th place. Riley and Choate both earned the status of All-American. Paul Salach would be the next Spartan across the line, finish 91st in a time of 27:53. Trent Johnson, returning from an early season injury, would finish in 130th and run a 28:22. Coming off of a fantastic marathon debut, Kevin Glime, in his first race back, would round out the scoring five. Glime would clock a 28:22, good for 130th. Jacob Young (154th, 28:40) and Ben Lambert (216th, 30:03) would serve as displacers for the Spartans.
The women’s B 6k race lined up to take off next. The Spartan women were led by club newcomer, Sarah Wallace, who crossed the line in 21st, clocking a time of 25:58. Finishing in 37th was a seasoned veteran, Megan McNitt, in a time of 26:54. Karlie Goretski was next to finish for the Spartans, finishing 63rd in 27:11. Natalee Dally (71st, 27:42) and Natalie Whise (95th, 28:10) would round out the scoring five. Emily Pease (120th, 29:03) and Emma Winn (128th, 29:25) served as displacers for the women’s team.
With the Open/Alumni race out of the way, the club championship races got underway. The Men’s B 8k race would take to the course next. In what was the largest field of the day, Pat Frahm led the Spartans with a 68th place finish in a time of 29:25. Not far behind was a trio of runners that consisted of Connor Lockman (86th, 29:45), Michael Brichta (95th, 29:55), and Nathan Blosser (108th, 30:05). Next to cross the line were Logan Soldo (126th, 30:27) and Jonathan Sollish (133rd, 30:33). Lucas Bowman finished in 30:53, good for 151st place.
The rest of the men’s field would consist of Joel Simpson (205th, 31:55), Jacob Paciorek (219th, 32:09), Ryan Squanda (226th, 32:16), Jack Adams (234th, 32:24), Adam Blaida (271st, 33:36), Jack Walton (300th, 34:40), Reagan Stowell (304th, 34:58), Jacob Leinweber (306th, 35:14), and Nicholas Keller (353rd, 42:07).
The men’s B team would finish 13th with an average time of 29:56 for their top five runners.
The Spartan men knew they were in for a challenge coming into the meet, having lost front-runner and returning All-American Adam Terwillegar to health complications. The group of seven were able to overcome this adversity, finishing in 10th place as a team, edging out Wisconsin in a tie break thanks to Young’s efforts. That is the highest ever team finish at NIRCA Cross Country Nationals for the Spartan men. The men were also able to hold a 27:35 average over their scoring five.
The last race of the day saw the women’s A team take the 6k course by storm, out for blood after their disappointing 4th place finish at the Great Lakes Regional meet two weeks prior. Steph Schmidt was more eager than any to return the Spartans to the spotlight, which is what she did in her final race as a Spartan. Schmidt would finish in 4th place overall, clocking a time of 22:39, just one second shy of her own club record. Making for the best 1-2 punch in the nation, Alex Dutcher crossed the line in 8th with a finish time of 23:03, also finishing her last race as a Spartan. The two seniors would go out in style, earning All-American status for the second year in a row.
Joining that dynamic duo as an All-American was freshman Erin Zimmer, crossing the line in 23:53, good for 30th place and a 16 second personal best. A pair of Spartans in Nicole Mosteller (53rd, 24:27) and Tarah Thompson (54th, 24:29) would round out the scoring five. Yet another pair of Spartans would serve as displacers for the women, with Valerie Morel (116th, 25:48) and Christina Casali (121st, 25:52) finishing within seconds of each other.
Having been ranked early in the season, but then dropping off the radar for the latter half, the Spartan women were out to show the nation that they meant business. The Spartans got their message across quite well, going from unranked to finishing in third as a team, only four points outside of a second place finish. This marks the highest team finish ever for the women, while also holding an impressive 23:42 average for their top five runners.
Most sports see significant evidence of home-field advantage, and cross country is no exception. The Spartans had record high finishes as teams for both the men and women. There were also more All-Americans this year alone than every other year combined. Though we may not have seen too many PR’s, the finish times do not reflect how truly hard our athletes worked and how amazing they performed. It was a “race for place” on this bitterly cold day, and the Spartans placed very well.
The men and women of the club have worked hard over the summer and the past few months, that much is apparent. Now that the cross country season is over, the Spartans will make the transition into indoor track season starting after Thanksgiving. What will we see from MSU Running Club during the track seasons? Only time will tell, but if things go as they did this season, NIRCA better watch out!
Go Green!
The Michigan State University Running Club celebrated their highest recorded finishes ever at the NIRCA Cross Country National Championships, with the women taking third and the men tenth. The Spartans had five All-American athletes in Steph Schmidt, Alex Dutcher, Erin Zimmer, Colin Riley, and Mark Choate.
Connor Lockman cruises in towards the finish line during the men's B 8k race. Lockman helped pace the men to a 13th place finish in the B race.
The Spartan women take off at the start line for the women's B 6k race. Newcomer Sarah Wallace and seasoned veteran Megan McNitt helped pace the women to a sixth place team finish.
The Spartan men were led by All-Americans Colin Riley and Mark Choate to their highest recorded team finish at NIRCA XC Nationals with a tenth place finish.
Seniors and two-time All-Americans, Steph Schmidt and Alex Dutcher led the women to the podium with a third place team finish. Erin Zimmer also earned All-American status.