Big 10 Championship XC Preview

Four ranked men’s teams and five ranked women’s teams will take part in the Big Ten Conference Championships on Sunday, November 1.

This year’s meet is hosted by Northwestern and will be contested on the Sydney Marovitz Golf Course in Chicago, Illinois.

The men’s race will start at 10:45 a.m. CDT, while the women’s race will begin one hour later at 11:45 a.m. CDT.

Here are three storylines to watch from each race, as well as those contenders for the individual titles.

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Will Wisconsin’s reign continue? If the 27th-ranked Badgers want to keep their dominant run going in the Big Ten (won 15 of the last 16 conference titles), they’ll need to pick it up in a big way. Wisconsin failed to impress in back-to-back meets and that includes a 17th-place finish at its own adidas Invitational. Time is of the essence for the Badgers, who are hanging on by a thread in the National Coaches’ Poll.
It could be Michigan’s year. The fifth-ranked Wolverines haven’t won a conference title since 1998, but look poised to end that 16-year drought. Michigan looked strong in its past two races, placing second at the Greater Louisville Classic and third at the adidas Invitational. Michigan is trending the right way at the right time and should have a low, low stick from senior Mason Ferlic.
Don’t forget about Indiana or Michigan State. The Hoosiers were the last team not named Wisconsin to win a conference crown. Indiana edged Michigan and the Badgers in 2013 and has followed a similar trajectory this year as they did two years ago. The 28th-ranked Hoosiers had a lot of question marks early on, but those went away thanks to a sterling performance at the Princeton Inter-Regional Meet and the Pre-National Invitational. Just like Indiana, no one expected much out of the Spartans but that’s when they excel. Michigan State proved it could run with the big boys with its surprising team title at the Roy Griak Invitational.

Favorites – Michigan’s Mason Ferlic, Wisconsin’s Malachy Schrobilgen, Purdue’s Matt McClintock.
Dark horses – Wisconsin’s Morgan McDonald, Michigan State’s Andrew Cusmano, Michigan State’s Caleb Rhynard.

It’s Michigan’s title to lose. There isn’t a stronger team in the Big Ten than the second-ranked Wolverines right now. Just how good have the Wolverines been? Well, Michigan has yet to be beaten in the team standings. Two weeks after steamrolling the field at the Greater Louisville Classic, the Wolverines edged three top-5 teams for the team crown at the Pre-National Invitational. This could be Michigan’s first conference title since 2012.
Is Michigan State’s run over? Injuries have been an issue for the Spartans this year as Lindsay Clark and Katie Landwehr have yet to toe the same starting line this season. Rachele Schulist was also a late scratch from the Wisconsin adidas Invitational two weeks ago. For Michigan State to have a chance at winning a third consecutive conference crown, all three of those runners need to be back at full strength. If not, the trophy could be leaving East Lansing.
What about Penn State or Wisconsin? The Nittany Lions are the top-ranked team next to Michigan in the latest National Coaches’ Poll (No. 15). Penn State also won the last conference title that didn’t go back to either Ann Arbor or East Lansing. That was in 2009. The Badgers fell out of the latest poll and will once again be without the services of standout Sarah Disanza. That news is a little alarming for Wisconsin, as she has yet to race competitively this season.

Favorites – Michigan’s Erin Finn, Michigan State’s Rachele Schulist.
Dark horses – Michigan’s Shannon Osika, Penn State’s Tori Gerlach, Minnesota’s Liz Berkholtz.