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Five Big Ten Teams and Four Individuals Prepare for NCAAs
Nov. 17, 2005
Complete Release in PDF Format On Monday, Nov. 21, 10 conference squads and seven individuals will compete at the 2005 NCAA Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships, which will be held at the Lavern Gibson Championship Course at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Complex in Terre Haute, Ind. Indiana State University will serve as host. The men's 10,000-meter race will take place at 12 p.m. ET, followed by the women's 6,000-meter race at 1:15 p.m. Of the 10 Big Ten teams and seven individuals that qualified for the NCAA Championships, 10 were automatic qualifiers, while the remaining seven received at-large bids. The Michigan women and Wisconsin men earned automatic bids by way of claiming NCAA Regional titles as the Wolverines and Badgers captured the Great Lakes Regional Championships. The Minnesota women also earned an automatic bid with a second-place finish at the Midwest Regional. On the men's side, five Big Ten teams - Indiana (31st appearance), Iowa (12th), Minnesota (17th), Ohio State (10th) and Wisconsin (45th) - will vie for the nation's top prize. In 2004, the Badgers took home second place overall and were led by NCAA champion Simon Bairu. Competing as individuals will be Michigan's Mike Woods (4th place, Great Lakes), Penn State's Dan Mazzocco (7th, Mid-Atlantic) and Illinois' Dan Stock (19th, Midwest). Five women's squads will also be competing. Illinois will make its second-ever appearance at NCAAs and will join Michigan (17th), Michigan State (7th), Minnesota (9th) and Wisconsin (20th) in Terre Haute on Monday. A pair of Indiana runners advanced individually as the Hoosiers will be represented by Jessica Gall (5th place, Great Lakes) and Lindsay Hattendorf (8th, Great Lakes). Also competing individually will be Purdue's Lindsay Zinn (11th, Great Lakes) and Iowa's Meghan Armstrong (9th, Midwest). All 10 conference squads are ranked in their respective polls. Wisconsin is ranked first in the Men's MONDO Top 30 Poll, followed by No. 12 Ohio State, No. 18 Iowa, No. 23 Minnesota and No. 29 Indiana. On the women's side, Michigan is ranked third in the FinishLynx Top 30 Poll, while Minnesota (12th), Illinois (14th), Wisconsin (22nd) and Michigan State (30th) round out the conference contingent. Gates open for spectators at 9 a.m. on Monday, with admission prices set at $5 for adults and students. Children two years and younger are free. Results can be found immediately following the races at www.ncaasports.com and www.indstate.edu/athletic.
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