Michigan
Michigan Open
Third-Ranked Wolverines to Kick Off Season with Michigan Open
8/31/2017 12:02:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
» Friday (Sept. 1) at 10 a.m. at Hudson Mills Metropark in Dexter, Michigan, will be the lone home competition for the national No. 3 University of Michigan women's cross country team, which will be looking to follow up on its national runner-up finish and Big Ten/Great Lakes Regional team titles from last season.
» Many of the team's top runners will be in action Friday morning, including All-Americans Gina Sereno and Avery Evenson.
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THIS WEEK
Friday, Sept. 1 -- host Michigan Open (Hudson Mills Metropark), 10 a.m.
The third-ranked University of Michigan women's cross country team will officially begin its quest to follow up on last year's narrow national runner-up finish -- as well as its Big Ten and Great Lakes Region titles -- on Friday (Sept. 1) with its lone home meet, the Michigan Open, at Hudson Mills Metropark in Dexter, Michigan.
Slated for a 10 a.m. gun, the non-scored race against members of the Eastern Michigan squad will be contested on a five-kilometer (3.11-mile) course over the gently rolling hills of Hudson Mills Metropark, located just to the north of downtown Dexter. Later in the season, the women will transition to running six-kilometer (3.73-mile) distances for the remainder of the year.
Admission to Hudson Mills Metropark is $10, which covers parking for the event. The site opens at 7 a.m. daily. [ More Information ]
THINGS TO KNOW
• Led by reigning Great Lakes Region and Big Ten Coach of the Year Mike McGuire, this will be the squad's first race on the grass since last year's narrow runner-up finish to Oregon -- 125-126 -- at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Michigan will enter ranked No. 3 in the preseason National Coaches' Poll announced Tuesday (Aug. 29) by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) and favored in the association's Great Lakes Region Rankings from Monday.
• The Wolverines have claimed five of the last six regional titles and are in the midst of the third-longest active NCAA Championships qualifying streak in the nation at 15 years running.
• Friday will likely be the only chance to see many of Michigan's top runners in action in the state of Michigan this year, as the top squad will likely opt out of the Eastern Michigan Fall Classic on Oct. 20 in favor of preparing for the Big Ten Championships the following weekend in Bloomington, Indiana.
• Among those in action for Michigan this weekend are U-M's two returning All-Americans in senior Gina Sereno and junior Avery Evenson. They will be joined by fellow 2016 NCAA Championships teammates Madeline Trevisan, Jamie Morrissey and Claire Borchers.
• Expected to play a key role in Michigan's lineup this year, Georgetown transfer Audrey Belf will make her U-M debut Friday. A junior in eligibility, Belf was one of the fastest and most-decorated runners in Michigan high school history before spending two years in D.C. Bucknell transfer Margaret Sliney will also don the maize and blue for the first time, as will walk-on Alena Tonne.
• Friday will also serve as the Michigan cross country debuts for many of last year's recruits who redshirted their first year in Ann Arbor. That list includes Micaela DeGenero, Kathryn House and Jena Metwalli.
• All of Michigan's first-year collegians will compete unattached, with this race serving as their first taste of collegiate competition at U-M.
A LOOK AHEAD
Saturday, Sept. 9 -- at Indiana State John McNichols Memorial (Terre Haute, Ind.)
Saturday, Sept. 30 -- at Indiana Sam Bell Invitational (Bloomington, Ind.)
Tweet of the Week
By now you've seen our women's XC team is ranked #??3?? nationally.
— Michigan Track&Field (@UMichTrack) August 29, 2017
Want to know why?
SEASON PREVIEW: https://t.co/i7wmY4gMgA pic.twitter.com/LVyN9TUS7P
Players Mentioned
