Sycamore Challenge Up Next for Wolverines
9/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
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THIS WEEK
Saturday, Sept. 10 -- at ISU Sycamore Invitational (Terre Haute, Ind.), 10 a.m.
Meet Information
The 18th-ranked University of Michigan men's cross country team will continue its 2016 season on Saturday (Sept. 10), traveling to Terre Haute, Indiana -- or 'Cross Country Town, U.S.A.' -- for the ISU Sycamore Invitational. The 8,000-meter race will allow U-M's lineup to preview the scene for the NCAA Championships in November, while also providing an early glimpse of stiff competition.
Besides the NCAA Division I meet that is scheduled, competitors from NCAA Divisions II and III will also compete, in addition to NAIA and NJCAA athletes, making the Lavern Gibson Championship Course the nation's busiest hub for cross country this weekend.
The race is a scored event, set for a 10 a.m. gun, and is preceded by the women's race at 9:30. There will also be an open race at 10:45 a.m. featuring men's (8,000 meters) and women's (5,000 meters) athletes.
Results for this meet can be found at timingmd.net.
Top Returning Times at 8,000 meters
• Ben Flanagan -- 23:42.6
• Connor Mora -- 23:58.1
• Aaron Baumgarten -- 24:06.9
• Micah Beller -- 24:10.0
• Kyle Kroon -- 24:39.4
• Billy Bund -- 25:02
• Keenan Rebera -- 25:50
THINGS TO KNOW
• Last weekend, U-M opened the season at Hudson Mills Metropark in nearby Dexter, Michigan, with the Michigan Open, where seven athletes made their Michigan debuts. Two of the top three finishers ran unattached (Ben Flanagan, Connor Mora), but it was Aaron Baumgarten who earned the victory while nine seconds separated runners one through four.
• This will be the first of three trips that U-M takes to Terre Haute in the 2016 season. In October, U-M will run at the adidas Pre-Nationals meet (Oct. 15), and the Wolverines will return to this site for the NCAA Championships (Nov. 19).
• This meet marks the first race of the season at the 8,000-meter distance, the same distance the Big Ten Championships will be run at in November.
• This weekend's meet provides an early look at the nationals course for less experienced Wolverines. For those who have run on the course before, it will be a valuable chance to re-familiarize as the national meet was held last fall in Louisville, Kentucky.
• Under head coach Kevin Sullivan, U-M has won three scored meets over the last two seasons, with five top-three finishes among six opportunities overall.
• U-M opened this fall's season ranked third in the region (Great Lakes) and 18th nationally in the coaches' poll.
• Earlier this week, Sullivan announced that Ben Flanagan, Connor Mora and Micah Beller will serve as team captains for the 2016 season. For Flanagan, it marks his third consecutive season as team captain.
• The Wolverines return 14 athletes from the 2015 roster on this year's team, including five from the Big Ten Championship squad.
• After graduating six seniors last fall, the Maize and Blue welcome a class of six true freshmen to the roster this fall, while three graduate transfers join the U-M ranks from Ivy League institutions (Connor Herr; Cornell, Will Sheeran and Ned Willig; Brown) to help bolster the depth of the roster.
A LOOK AHEAD
Saturday, Sept. 24 -- at Roy Griak Invitatoinal (Minneapolis, Minn.), 12:20 p.m. CDT
Friday, Sept. 30 -- at Notre Dame Invitational (South Bend, Ind.), 2 p.m.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
INSIDE: Michigan #BringingBackTradition
BONUS must-watch documentary to get you pumped up for cross country season. https://t.co/OEpIRoclKZ— FloTrack (@FloTrack) September 7, 2016
Communications Contact: Chad Shepard
Players Mentioned
