Eastern Michigan Athletics
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Eagles Set For Great Lakes Regional
11/10/2021 1:14:00 PM | Men's XC, Women's XC
EMU treks to Evansville, Ind. for regional meet, Nov. 12
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University cross country program is ready to take on the best of the best this Friday, Nov. 12, at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional. The regional meet is hosted by the University of Evansville on the Purple Ace's Angel Mounds Cross Country Course. First up will be the women's 6K at 12 p.m. ET, followed by the men's 10K at 1 p.m. E.T.
"The women did not have the kind of team performance that we were hoping for at the MAC meet so this is a chance for us to put it all together and see what we can do," said Director/Head Coach Sue Parks. "The men have some good momentum coming off our big conference win and we're looking forward to continuing that trend this weekend. It's a great opportunity for both squads to have a strong showing in Evansville."
"We are excited to head to the Great Lakes Regional this weekend," said Head Coach Mark Rinker. "Coming off the MAC meet we are in the best place we've been all season and I'm looking forward to the guys running their best race of the year."
There were no regional races last year due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19 Pandemic), therefore this will be the Eagles' first regional race since 2019. That year, the women's team placed ninth with 283 points in Madison, Wis., the team's sixth-straight top-10 showing at the meet, Nov. 15. In the 6K race, former Eagle Natalie Cizmas rounded out the top-10 in 20:33.3, followed by Emily Smith (47th - 21:29.0), and Karlie Swanson (66th - 21:47.0).
Meanwhile, the men's team in 2019 earned a 10th-place finish in the 10K with 347 points. Sophomore Andy Payne (Worthington, Ohio-Thomas Worthington) led Eastern in the race, placing 49th in 31:34.5, while then-sophomore Baldvin Magnusson (Akureyri, Iceland-Hull University) (59th - 31:54.6), and former Eagle Owen Day (66th - 32:04.6) were close behind.
At all regional meets, the top-two teams from each race automatically qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships, Nov. 20. Furthermore, individuals can qualify for the national meet in Tallahassee, Fla. by claiming the top spot in their respective race. Others will wait to see if they have earned an at-large big.
The top-two men's teams in the Great Lakes Region are Notre Dame and Wisconsin, respectively, according to the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Green and Yellow harriers moved up to No. 7 in the latest regional poll after capturing their third-straight Mid-American Conference title, Oct. 30.
For the women, Michigan and Wisconsin hold the top spots, respectively, per the USTFCCCA. Currently, EMU's team is not ranked in the region.
Last season, Payne earned an at-large bid as an individual after placing second at the Mid-American Conference Championships. In the men's title race, the sophomore crossed the finish line in 32:26 to grab spot No. 172 in his national race debut, March 15, 2021. The Worthington, Ohio native started in the back of the pack early, but made up substantial ground for the remainder of the course. At one point he sat in 247th, but persevered to move up 75 spots by the end of the race.
For updates on all things Eastern Michigan cross country and track and field, continue to check EMUEagles.com or follow the team on Instagram and Twitter, @EMUXC_TF, and Facebook, @EMUXCTF.
"The women did not have the kind of team performance that we were hoping for at the MAC meet so this is a chance for us to put it all together and see what we can do," said Director/Head Coach Sue Parks. "The men have some good momentum coming off our big conference win and we're looking forward to continuing that trend this weekend. It's a great opportunity for both squads to have a strong showing in Evansville."
"We are excited to head to the Great Lakes Regional this weekend," said Head Coach Mark Rinker. "Coming off the MAC meet we are in the best place we've been all season and I'm looking forward to the guys running their best race of the year."
There were no regional races last year due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19 Pandemic), therefore this will be the Eagles' first regional race since 2019. That year, the women's team placed ninth with 283 points in Madison, Wis., the team's sixth-straight top-10 showing at the meet, Nov. 15. In the 6K race, former Eagle Natalie Cizmas rounded out the top-10 in 20:33.3, followed by Emily Smith (47th - 21:29.0), and Karlie Swanson (66th - 21:47.0).
Meanwhile, the men's team in 2019 earned a 10th-place finish in the 10K with 347 points. Sophomore Andy Payne (Worthington, Ohio-Thomas Worthington) led Eastern in the race, placing 49th in 31:34.5, while then-sophomore Baldvin Magnusson (Akureyri, Iceland-Hull University) (59th - 31:54.6), and former Eagle Owen Day (66th - 32:04.6) were close behind.
At all regional meets, the top-two teams from each race automatically qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships, Nov. 20. Furthermore, individuals can qualify for the national meet in Tallahassee, Fla. by claiming the top spot in their respective race. Others will wait to see if they have earned an at-large big.
The top-two men's teams in the Great Lakes Region are Notre Dame and Wisconsin, respectively, according to the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Green and Yellow harriers moved up to No. 7 in the latest regional poll after capturing their third-straight Mid-American Conference title, Oct. 30.
For the women, Michigan and Wisconsin hold the top spots, respectively, per the USTFCCCA. Currently, EMU's team is not ranked in the region.
Last season, Payne earned an at-large bid as an individual after placing second at the Mid-American Conference Championships. In the men's title race, the sophomore crossed the finish line in 32:26 to grab spot No. 172 in his national race debut, March 15, 2021. The Worthington, Ohio native started in the back of the pack early, but made up substantial ground for the remainder of the course. At one point he sat in 247th, but persevered to move up 75 spots by the end of the race.
For updates on all things Eastern Michigan cross country and track and field, continue to check EMUEagles.com or follow the team on Instagram and Twitter, @EMUXC_TF, and Facebook, @EMUXCTF.
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