Michigan
Pre-National Invitational
Michigan to Travel to Terre Haute for Pre-National Invitational
10/14/2026 9:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan men's cross country team will head to Terre Haute, Ind., to compete in the Pre-National Invitational on Friday (Oct. 16) at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course. The men's 8-kilometer race is scheduled to start at 10:40 a.m. and will be streamed live on Runnerspace.
Notes
• The Wolverines seek to build momentum following performances at two major Midwest meets. Michigan earned a second-place team finish (88 points) at the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invite on Sept. 25 in Chicago before placing 30th of 35 teams at the Nuttycombe Invitational on Oct. 9 in Madison, Wis.
• Trent McFarland looks to continue his strong early-season performance after placing 11th overall at the Loyola Lakefront Invite in 23:05.49. McFarland pushed into third place between the first and third kilometers to set a personal 8K best.
• Luke Alverson, Nolan Clark, Henry Dixon, Ian Hill and Aiden Sullivan are all set to re-enter the Michigan lineup after posting career-best 8K times at the Loyola Lakefront Invite.
• Junior Nathan Lopez has served as Michigan's top individual finisher in seven consecutive scored meets dating back to the 2025 season. He placed 75th overall at the Nuttycombe Invitational on Oct. 9 in 23:43.2 over 8 kilometers following an eighth-place finish at the Loyola Lakefront Invite in a career-best 23:01.95.
• Lopez was named Big Ten co-Athlete of the Week on Sept. 30 after his performance at the Loyola Lakefront Invite.
• Jack Bidwell has placed in the Wolverines' top four in each of his first two career cross country events. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 30.
• The Wolverines have used a pair of late pushes to boost their team results early in the season. Heath McAllister (24:00.5) climbed 16 positions over the final two kilometers at the Nuttycombe Invitational to finish 117th as Michigan's second runner, while Brendan Herger previously passed 30 runners over the final 3K at Loyola to cut 58 seconds off his career mark.
