Nuttycombe Invitational Next Up for Cross Country

NUTTYCOMBE WISCONSIN INVITATION
Date: Friday Oct 15.
Time: 12 noon ET (11am CT)
Venue: Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course (Verona, Wisconsin)
Live Score: PT timing

Madison, Wis. After a two-week hiatus, the Michigan State men’s and women’s cross-country teams will hit the trail again this Friday, October 15, at the Nuttycombe Invitational at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Verona, Wisconsin.

One of the premier collegiate races, the 2021 edition of the Nuttycombe will feature the Spartan men against 17 schools ranked in the USTFCCCA polls, highlighted by No. 3 Stanford, fourth-ranked Oklahoma State, No. 6 Iowa State, No. 9-ranked Oregon and No. 10 Furman. For the No. 17 MSU women, they will compete against teams that comprise the top-3 teams in the nation (No. 1 North Carolina State, No. 2 BYU, No. 3 New Mexico), along with No. 6 Minnesota , number 7 Washington and number 9 ranked Stanford.

“The race is very competitive and we will use it as an opportunity to race in a deep field, and to prepare for the fun and intensity of the championship season,” said Track & Field/Cross Country director Lisa Breznau.

MSU opens the day at 12:00 AM (11:00 AM CT) with the women’s 6K “B” race, and the men’s 8K “B” race takes place at 12:40 PM (11:40 AM CT). The “B” races allow an unlimited number of runners for each school. The championship races, with just seven runners from each squad, will begin at 1:20 p.m. (12:20 a.m. CT) with the women’s 6K race and the men’s 8K race at 2:00 p.m. (1:00 p.m. CT) .

“Both teams are approaching training with the aim of preparing as best they can for the championship portion of our season,” added Breznau. “Nuttycombe is a great opportunity for both teams to gain competitive experience.”

The Greens and Whites head to the Wisconsin-hosted event with strong individual and team performances at the Griak Invitational on September 24. The MSU men left Minnesota in third place (86 points), while senior Morgan Beadlescomb used an 8K time of 24:18.5 to take home third place individually, leaving only defending NCAA champion Conner Mantz of BYU and NCAA third-place finisher Wesley Kiptoo of ISU. Posting a time of 24:57.7 to become 14th, sophomore Brendan Favazza was the other Spartan to finish in the top-15, while redshirt juniors Abdi Ahmed (25:07.7) and Fraser Wilson (25:08.7), together with senior John Petrono (25:11.1), all had top-25 times.

For the women, MSU took fifth place (101 points), one point shy of tying the teams in third and fourth. Senior Jenna Magness again, the pace of the Spartans in the 6K, with Magness (20:59.6) finishing second, just 1.7 seconds behind the winner, Cailie Logue of Iowa State. Fellow senior Lynsie Gram recorded a time of 21:15,1 to go home 13th, while redshirt junior Makayla Perez posted 25th place at 21:51.0 in her season debut.

“Everyone is committed across the board,” Breznau said. “Both teams have kept their sense of purpose and urgency high. They have also done a fantastic job training as a team.”

The Spartans are returning to the Nuttycombe after a year-long absence, as the 2020 meeting was postponed due to COVID-19. MSU competed in the invitation every year from 2010 to 2019, with the 2019 race finishing fifth in the women’s race and Beadlescomb setting a then-career 8K time of 23:47.3 to take seventh in the women’s race. men individually.

Following the Nuttycombe, Michigan State will race its final regular season game this Friday, October 22, at the Eastern Michigan Fall Classic in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The EMU Fall Classic serves as the final set-up for the Big Ten Championship on October 29 in State College, Pennsylvania.