Chippewa Cross Country Squads Head to Pre National
10/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Danielle Ross, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- As the cross county season begins its all-important home stretch, Central Michigan will get a good look at what it is up against Saturday when it runs in the Indiana State Pre National Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind.
"We will be able to see a lot of competition because Terre Haute's cross country course is top notch," said CMU associate head coach Matt Kaczor of the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center, which will also be the site of the NCAA Championships on Nov. 22.
They're all big from here on out for CMU. After Saturday's event, the Chippewas will host the Mid-American Conference Championships on Nov. 1, and will run in the NCAA Regional in Wisconson on Nov. 14.
Silas Dekalita, Nate Ghena and Spencer Nousain have solidified themselves atop the CMU men's team, while others, such as Tanner Pesonen, Monte Scott, Casey Voisin and Ben Wynsma, are firmly in the hunt.
Freshmen Alec Toreki and Joseph Emmanuel will sit out Saturday's race to rest and continued their training regiment ahead of the MAC Championships.
Senior Ethan Lievense will also be sit out on Saturday because of an injury.
"Gaps are the main focus for Pre National," Kaczor said. "For the men's team, I want the gap between the seven runners to be 80 seconds, and from runners 1-5 down to 45 seconds." Kaczor said.
Abbey Kelto and Breanne Lesnar will be the Chippewa women, along with Esther Bell, Michaela Bundy, Hannah Davis, Melinda Palinkas and Katie Weiler.
Kaczor said he has the same expectations for the women: He wants a 45-second gap from the first-fifth.
"They have been looking good," Kaczor said. "We are starting to see people close the gaps in workouts. Now we just have to see it executed in a race and if we start to see that then we can start getting more excited and we have a shot."
Seventy-nine colleges and universities are expected for the event. There will be four university/college races, two for each gender. Both CMU squads will compete in their respective White Race against several MAC schools and several they will encounter at the NCAA Regional.
Players Mentioned
