Regional Run Next For Cross Country

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – A chance to prove themselves against the best in the Midwest and perhaps gain a little redemption.

The Central Michigan men's and women's cross country teams are set to compete in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship on Friday at Indiana State's LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.

The women's race, a 6K, is set to begin at 10 a.m. followed by the men's race, a 10K, at 11 a.m.

The top two teams in each race advance to the NCAA Championships on Nov. 19 in Stillwater, Okla. The regional is one of nine across the country; the top two teams at each regional earn a berth to the NCAA. Another 13 at-large teams from those regional fields are selected to fill out the NCAA field.

The top four individuals on nonqualifying teams at each of those regionals also advance to the NCAA Championships.

The top 25 runners in each regional race earn all-region honors.

Central Michigan's top hope for an NCAA Championships berth is junior Adam Rzentkowski, who placed 12^th two weeks ago at the Mid-American Conference Championships.

While the regional field – about 30 men's and women's team will compete – is considerably larger than that at the MAC Championships, the goal and the competition are similar, CMU Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Jennifer Swieton said.

"The same guys that (Rzentkowski) was competing against at MAC are the same guys he's going to have to beat out to get an individual spot (at the NCAA Championships)," she said.

The 12^th-place finish at the MAC – an 8K race -- was a disappointment, though it put Rzentkowski on the All-MAC Second Team and marked the third consecutive year that he has earned all-conference honors.

"At MAC, the first 7K he raced really, really well and then they just kind of gapped him and he never got to close that gap," Swieton said. "The goal this weekend obviously is to kind of turn the tide on those guys and see what he can do. If he can beat the MAC guys he has a really good shot to qualify (for the NCAA).

"We know what it takes and he knows where he needs to be and what he has to do."

Both Chippewa squads can look to Friday's event with higher hopes and better expectations after both fell short of their aspirations in the MAC Championships. The CMU women placed seventh of 12 and the men were seventh of eight in that event.

"They're all excited to get out there and prove that and beat some people who beat us at MAC and have one last go at it," Swieton said, adding that both also hope to improve on their 2021 regional placings (the men were 19^th, the women 21^st).

"I absolutely think both teams can place higher than we did last year," she said. "I think we're better on both sides than we were last year even though MAC didn't play out that way. This is another opportunity for us to show that. We're a 100 percent better team than we were last year in both genders.

"At the end of the day, we have nothing to lose. Let's just go in there and give it everything we have and see where we're at. We've had a great season and let's try to end on a high note."

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Players Mentioned

Adam Rzentkowski

Central Michigan University Athletics