Toeing the Line #3: at Louisville Classic

Sept. 30, 2015

Michigan Women's Cross Country

• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter
• Athlete Spotlight: Anna Pasternak

THIS WEEK
Saturday, Oct. 3 -- at Greater Louisville Classic (Louisville, Ky.), 10:15 a.m.

• Event Information: Course Map | Results | Follow the Meet

In the first of two regular-season races at the site of the 2015 NCAA Championships, the No. 8-ranked University of Michigan women's cross country team will travel to E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Kentucky, for the Greater Louisville Classic hosted by the Louisville Sports Commission. U-M will have an opportunity to see the national championship course early, running a 5,000-meter race against 28 other programs. This meet will feature five ranked programs, including U-M.

Michigan will travel 12 athletes to the meet in-uniform and includes competition from the following programs: Bellarmine, Belmont, Bucknell, Eastern Kentucky, Edinboro, Elon, Grand Valley State, Indianapolis, Iona, No. 6 Iowa State, Hillsdale, Hope, La Salle, Lipscomb, Louisville, Loyola (Ill.), Middle Tennessee State, No. 23 Minnesota, Mississippi, Morehead State, North Florida, Ohio State, No. 19 Penn State, Richmond, South Alabama, Southern Indiana, Southern Methodist University, Toledo, University of Toronto, West Virginia, Western Kentucky, Western Ontario and No. 11 Wisconsin.

[ More Information ]

THINGS TO KNOW
• This weekend marks the 14th annual Greater Louisville Classic, hosted by the Louisville Sports Commission. As in past years, the race is held seven weeks before the NCAA Championships (Nov. 21), which will also be run at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park, the host of five NAIA National Championships, the 2010 and 2014 NCAA DII National Championships and the 2012 NCAA DI National Championships.

• This is U-M's first trip to the Greater Louisville Classic since 2011, and the meet will also feature many other DI teams, including Big Ten members No. 23 Minnesota and No. 4 Wisconsin.

• U-M opened the USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll at No. 12 in the preseason, and the young season has seen an early climb to eight in the latest edition released earlier this week. This marks the fourth season in the last five in which U-M has been ranked in the nation's top 13 to start the season off, a testament to the sustained success of the program under 24th-year head coach Mike McGuire.

• This week's poll marks the first time since 2008 that both the men's (No. 10) and women's programs have been ranked in the top 10 of the USTFCCCA Coaches' Poll.

• The Maize and Blue will travel 13 athletes to Louisville, with 12 expected to compete in uniform: Claire Borchers, Erin Finn, Corinne Florie, Erika Fluehr, Devon Hoppe (alternate), Kayla Keane, Sophie Linn, Taylor Manett, Courtney Munley, Shannon Osika, Anna Pasternak, Jaimie Phelan and Gina Sereno.

• In the first scored meet of the year, U-M took the team title at Vanderbilt's Commodore Classic (Sept. 19) with 39 points. Making her in-uniform return from an injury suffered last fall, junior Erin Finn was the individual champion at a collegiate-best time of 16:43.4 and was one of four Wolverines to finish in the top 10.

• Michigan will see the course at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park once more between this weekend's race and the 2015 NCAA Championships (Nov. 21). The Wolverines return for the NCAA Pre-Nationals meet (Oct. 17) two weekends from now.

Top Returning Times at 5,000 meters (from 2014)

Athlete	Time
Erin Finn	17:01.5
Shannon Osika	17:01.5
Taylor Manett	17:43
Anna Pasternak	17:51.9
Laura Addison	17:55.9

TWEET OF THE WEEK

.@meg_bellino is dishing out some love for the Wolverines on Flotrack this week! Check it out at the 2-minute mark. https://t.co/bp62ggefNq

-- Michigan Track&Field (@umichtrack) September 29, 2015