Michigan
EMU Fall Classic
Wolverine Women Set to Close Out Regular Season at EMU Fall Classic
10/21/2021 12:11:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
THIS WEEK
Friday, Oct. 22 -- at Eastern Michigan Fall Classic (Dexter, Mich.), 4:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Select members of the national No. 9-ranked University of Michigan women's cross country team will close out the 2021 regular season at the Eastern Michigan Fall Classic on Friday (Oct. 22) at Hudson Mills Metropark in nearby Dexter, Mich.
With the Big Ten Championships scheduled exactly one week after Friday's race in Dexter, the Wolverines' top lineup will not compete in the five-kilometer (3.11-mile) race that is set for a 4:30 p.m. start. Instead, they will prepare to bring home from Penn State on Oct. 29 the team's first conference title since 2018 and its fourth in the past six seasons.
Donning the block M for the Wolverines this Friday will be Eva Jansohn and Gabby Swider.
There is no event-specific admission cost, but all spectators will be subject to a $10-per-vehicle daily entry fee levied by Huron-Clinton Metroparks.
Things to Know
• Led by longtime women's head cross country coach Mike McGuire, the U-M women will enter the weekend ranked No. 1 in the deep Great Lakes Regional rankings and No. 9 in the National Coaches' Poll announced earlier this week by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
• The Wolverines have claimed seven of the last nine regional titles and are in the midst of the third-longest active NCAA Championships qualifying streak in the nation at 19 years running.
• Most recently, the Wolverines are coming off a decisive team victory at the Penn State National Open last Friday (Oct. 15), defeating national vote-receiving Georgia Tech and conference foes Northwestern and Penn State, 33-82-109-123. Michigan accounted for three of the top four individual spots with runner-up Ericka VanderLende, third-place Katelynne Hart and fourth-place Kayla Windemuller. The Wolverines put three more in the top-15 in 11th-place Alice Hill, 13th-place Anne Forsyth and 15th-place Samantha Saenz.
• Michigan has found a strong 1-2-3 punch so far this season between VanderLende, Windemuller and Hart. That trio has traded the role of No. 1 runner throughout the year so far; Hart was the overall winner at the season-opening Michigan open with VanderLende and Windemuller right behind; VanderLende was Michigan's top runner at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe, followed by Windemuller and Hart; and Windemuller led the way for the Wolverines at Louisville, followed by Hart and VanderLende; and VanderLende reclaimed the reins at the Penn State National Open, followed by Hart and Windemuller.
• The Wolverines have plenty of proven talent behind them, including reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year Samantha Tran, a resurgent Anne Forsyth who is competing at a high level for the first time since her revelation of a debut campaign in 2018, and NCAA Championships steeplechase qualifier Alice Hill.
• Michigan is looking for a breakthrough campaign from Samantha Saenz, who was poised for a big season in 2020 before the pandemic pushed cross country to the spring. She was Michigan's No. 5 and No. 6 runner in the Wolverines' two outings to Penn State.
Up Next
Friday, Oct. 29 -- at Big Ten Championships (State College, Pa.), 11:45 a.m.
Players Mentioned
