Michigan
Penn State National Open
Wolverines Score Decisive Win at Penn State Behind Three Top-Four Finishers
10/15/2021 12:18:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
Site: State College, Pa. (Penn State Blue and White Golf Courses)
Event: Penn State National Open
Distance: Six Kilometers (3.73 miles)
U-M Team Finish: 1st of 36 teams (33 points)
Top U-M Individual: Ericka VanderLende, 2nd (20:50.1)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Oct. 22 -- at EMU Fall Classic (Dexter, Mich.)
• Complete Results (PDF)
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Powered by three top-four finishers, the No. 8-ranked University of Michigan women's cross country team put an exclamation point on its 2021 regular-season campaign with a decisive team victory at the Penn State National Open on Friday morning (Oct. 15).
Running on the same six-kilometer (3.73-mile) Penn State Blue and White Golf Courses circuit that will host the Big Ten Conference Championships in two weeks' time, the Wolverines scored 33 points to defeat national vote-receiving Georgia Tech and Big Ten foes Northwestern and vote-receiving host Penn State, 33-82-109-123, in the 16-team field.
Michigan relied once again on its one-two-three punch of Ericka VanderLende, Katelynne Hart and Kayla Windemuller, who finished second (20:50.1), third (20:53.1) and fourth (20:54.5), respectively, to lead the Wolverine effort.
What set the Wolverines apart from the Yellowjackets and Wildcats, who had two and three top-10 finishers, respectively, was their depth. Michigan added three more top-20 finishes from 11th-place Alice Hill (21:19.6), 13th-place Anne Forsyth (21:21.4) and 15th-place Samantha Saenz (21:27.2). Along with 23rd-place Samantha Tran and 28th-place Julia Vanitvelt, the Wolverines had eight runners across the line before any other team had completed their five-woman scoring lineup.
The race took some time to develop, as the Wolverines were only fourth at the 1.2-kilometer split with 113 points. The trio of Windemuller (third), Hart (seventh) and VanderLende (10th) were running with the leaders, but the rest of Michigan's lineup had yet to move up.
By just over halfway through at 3.1 kilometers, the Wolverines had made a decisive move to the top of the team leaderboard, seizing a 56-68-87 advantage over Northwestern and Penn State. Hart (fourth), VanderLende (sixth) and Windemuller (seventh) remained among the leaders, but the jump was propelled by the rest of the Wolverine lineup making big moves forward.
Running the race's second- and third-fastest splits between 1.2K and 3.1K, Saenz jumped 30 spots to 19th and Forsyth gained 32 up to 20th. Hill checked in at 26th with a 28-spot improvement, and Tran moved up 21 to 32nd overall.
The Wolverines continued to exert their will on the field through the 4.8-kilometer split, opening up a 38-90-95 chasm over Penn State and Northwestern. Hart (second), VanderLende (third) and Windemuller (fifth) were all running top-five in a lead group, with Saenz (11th), Forsyth (17th) and Hill (18th) all running top-20.
Michigan closed out strong, with all but three of its 11 runners gaining at least one spot in the closing mile-and-a-quarter.
Next week, Michigan will be at home for the Eastern Michigan Fall Classic in neighboring Dexter, though the Wolverines are not expected to field their top lineup for the race.
Full results for the Wolverines who ran on Friday are listed below.
Michigan Results
2. Ericka VanderLende -- 20:50.1
3. Katelynne Hart -- 20:53.1
4. Kayla Windemuller -- 20:54.5
11. Alice Hill -- 21:19.6
13. Anne Forsyth -- 21:21.4
15. Samantha Saenz -- 21:27.2
23. Samantha Tran -- 21:40.7
28. Julia Vanitvelt -- 21:51.3
45. Lucy Petee -- 22:27.4
60. Aurora Rynda -- 22:38.9
93. Gabby Swider -- 23:09.8
Team Standings
1. MICHIGAN (No. 8) -- 33 points
2. Georgia Tech (RV) -- 82
3. Northwestern -- 109
4. Penn State (RV) -- 123
5. Cornell -- 148
6. Penn -- 151
7. James Madison -- 251
8. Rutgers -- 264
9. Syracuse (RV) -- 270
10. Pittsburgh -- 286
11. Siena -- 298
12. Ohio -- 307
13. Lehigh -- 311
14. Youngstown State -- 315
15. Maryland -- 383
16. Duquesne -- 452
Players Mentioned
