Michigan
Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational
Michigan Posts Strong Performance at Notre Dame
10/4/2019 3:00:00 PM | Men's Cross Country
Site: South Bend, Ind. (Burke Golf Course)
Event: Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational
Distance: Five Miles (8.05 Kilometers)
U-M Team Finish: 7th of 23 teams (213 points)
Top U-M Individual: Devin Meyrer, 21st (23:49.54)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Oct. 18 -- at Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational (Madison, Wis.), 11:40 a.m. CDT
• Complete Results
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan men's cross country team availed itself well Friday (Oct. 4) in its first test of the year against national-level competition at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational.
The Wolverines finished seventh in the team standings with 213 points in the top-seeded Blue Race. Devin Meyrer led the way for the Wolverines individually with a 21st-place finish, covering the five-mile (8.05-kilometer) Burke Golf Course circuit in 23:49.54.
Michigan's team finish matched its pre-meet ranking within the field.
Rounding out Michigan's scoring lineup -- comprised of its top five runners -- were 34th-place Jack Aho (24:04.95), 50th-place Nick Foster (24:14.17), 52nd-place Ben Hill (24:14.89) and 56th-place Gabe Mudel (24:17.25).
The top spot in the team standings went to No. 4 Colorado with 71 points.
Michigan stacked up well against its Big Ten competition as No. 21 Purdue was fourth with 178 points and No. 19 Indiana was just ahead of the Wolverines in sixth with 195 points. Defending champion No. 10 Wisconsin finished just behind Michigan at 243 points for eighth place.
Michigan established itself in seventh place by the halfway point of the race at four kilometers and would hold that position for the remainder of the race.
No team in the top 10 had as tightly packed a group as the Wolverines, whose first-through-fifth runners were separated by just 27.7 seconds. No team in the field came close to Michigan's spread, one-through-seven, which was a mere 36.2 seconds. Among top-10-finishing teams, Purdue was closest one-through-seven at 68.4 seconds.
Additionally, Joost Plaetinck ran a strong 24:10.39 time in the open race that immediately followed the Blue Race, missing out on the win in a photo finish by less than a second. His time would have been good for top-50 in the Blue Race.
Bolstering its depth on Friday is the fact that Michigan has more pieces to add to the lineup, including standout Buckeye Preview performers Jacob Branch and Jacob Lee, as well as second team All-Big Ten honoree Jordy Hewitt and Ryan Robinson.
Michigan Results
Blue Race (Top-Seeded)
21. Devin Meyrer -- 23:49.54
34. Jack Aho -- 24:04.95
50. Nick Foster -- 24:14.17
52. Ben Hill -- 24:14.89
56. Gabe Mudel -- 24:17.25
57. Isaac Harding -- 24:17.26
69. Christian Hubaker -- 24:25.74
Team Standings
Blue Race (Top-Seeded)
1. #4 Colorado -- 71 points
2. #14 Ole Miss -- 107 points
3. #15 NC State -- 177 points
4. #21 Purdue -- 178 points
5. #9 Notre Dame -- 187 points
6. #19 Indiana -- 195 points
7. #16 MICHIGAN -- 213 POINTS
8. #10 Wisconsin -- 243 points
9. #26 Eastern Kentucky -- 254 points
10. Florida State (RV) -- 266 points
11. Georgetown -- 269 points
12. Iowa -- 282 points
13. #18 Wyoming -- 287 points
14. Gonzaga (RV) -- 308 points
15. Weber State -- 320 points
16. #29 Alabama -- 424 points
17. New Mexico -- 447 points
18. #13 Colorado State -- 463 points
19. Bradley -- 464 points
20. Belmont -- 489 points
21. North Carolina -- 530 points
22. Arizona -- 578 points
Players Mentioned
