Women's 5k Entries in pdf
Men's 8k Entries in pdf
Men's Past Champions in pdf
Women's Past Champions in pdf
Women's 5k Course Map
Men's 8k Course Map
The Detroit Titans men's and women's cross country teams are set to host their second event of the season as UDM, along with Wayne State, host the Michigan Intercollegiate Cross Country Championships, on Friday, Oct. 10 at Kensington Metropark in Milford.
The race, first held in 1930, will have over 20 programs from the state of Michigan, all vying for a chance at the championship. The event will also return to its original format with the men running on the 8k course, while the women will compete on the 5k course. In year's past, both the men and women had a choice of a long or short course to run on with winners in all four races.
"It should be a great event," said head coach Guy Murray. "I think going back to the traditional format with one course for the men and women instead of a long and short course for each will definitely enhance the race."
The women's field will showcase three ranked teams and a number of top collegiate runners. Grand Valley State University comes into the race ranked number two in Division II by the USTFCCA. Calvin College is currently the top ranked team in Division III, while Lansing Community College is No. 6 in the county at the junior college level.
Individually, Rachelle Mallette of Wayne State is the two-time defending champion and will be a heavy favorite for her third-straight title after winning the Division II Pre-National Meet last week. Calvin's Jessica Koster and GVSU's Megan Macerantini will also be among the top finishers after both runners broke 18 earlier this year.
The Titans will be led by sophomore Kristie Ferrans, who set a new career time of 19:26 at last week's Greater Louisville Classic. UDM has improved steadily throughout the season and will look for its first-ever team championship at the event. Detroit has had a runner win the race as Kim Hemstreet took home top honors in the long 6k course in 2002 as well as the original 5k course in 2001.
"We hope to continue our weekly improvement on a challenging course," said Murray. "It will also be exciting to see where we stand against the other in-state rivals as well as seeing how the team standings shape up as the old format really split the women up."
The men's collegiate race will also feature three ranked squads in the 10th-ranked Lakers of GVSU, the second-ranked Calvin Knights and the Lansing Stars, the defending National Junior College Champions as well as the 2007 Michigan Intercollegiate champions, who are currently ranked sixth in the NJCAA.
"Grand Valley and Calvin will be among the favorites, but a lot depends on who runs their top guys," said Murray. "Wayne State should be ranked and will challenge for the top spot along with Lansing and Eastern Michigan."
The list of favorites in the men's race includes Wayne State's Abdullah Saleh, Calvins' Jed Christiansen, Tyler Emmory of Grand Valley and Siena Heights' top harrier Alex Russeau. Saleh won the race in 2006 and was the runner-up last year. Christiansen placed fourth with a time of 25:00 at last weeks Notre Dame Invitational, while Emmory and Russeau finished 11th and 12th, respectively, in the same race. The defending men's champion Rex Kiptuli of Lansing will not run in the race on Friday.
The Titans hope to continue the momentum they had last week at the Greater Louisville Classic, where all 10 of their runners set new career highs. UDM will be led by sophomore Patrick Liederbach who became just the third harrier in school history to break 25 in an 8k race with a 24:54 at Louisville. Liederbach will now set his sights on finishing first, which would make him just the second Titan to win the event, following Chris McPhee's victorious run in 2001.
"We ran a tremendous race at the Michigan Intercollegiate last year and want to keep that tradition and challenge for a top five spot," said Murray. "We ran our best race in a long, long time last week at Louisville and want to prove that it was not a fluke. Last week was also a great breakthrough for Pat and if he runs like that this week, he will be right in the thick of things."
The event is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m., with the running of the women's 5k collegiate race. The men's collegiate race will start at 4:45 p.m. Besides the men's and women's collegiate races, two open races will also take place. The men's open 8k will start at 5:30, while the women's 5k will fire off at 5:37. The cost of the open race is $10 per entry, payable at the event.
Teams Competing- Albion, Calvin, Central Michigan, Davenport, Detroit, Eastern Michigan, Glen Oaks CC, Grand Valley, Hillsdale, Jackson CC, Kirtland CC, Kalamazoo, Lansing CC, Madonna, Macomb CC, Mott CC, Northwood, Oakland CC, Oakland U, Olivet, Saginaw Valley, Siena Heights, Wayne State, Western Michigan (Women Only).
2008 Michigan Intercollegiate Cross Country Championships
Friday-October 10th, 2008
Kensington Metropark, Milford, MI
4:00pm- Women's 5000 Meter Championship
4:45pm- Men's 8000 Meter Championship
5:30pm- Men's Open 8000 Meter
5:37pm- Women's Open 5000 Meter
6:30pm- Award Ceremony at shelter just south of start/finish area.
Directions- Kensington Park is off of I-96 between Brighton and Novi. Exit #151- Kensington Rd from the west or Exit #153-Kent Lake Rd from the east. Follow Park Rd to course, start line at playfields next to Possum Hollow.
