Loughlin & Lange Run To First Team All-Conference Accolades
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech cross country squads totaled six all-conference performances at the GLIAC Cross Country Championships at the Tech Trails on Saturday morning.
In the team race, the women placed fifth overall with 113 points, while the men earned a fourth-place team finish scoring 95 points. Grand Valley State swept the team races, with the women producing a perfect score (15 points) while the men scored 21 points.
The Huskies saw first team All-GLIAC performances by Hannah Loughlin (9th place) and Sam Lange (6th place) to go with four second team All-GLIAC honors for freshman Sophia Rhein (17th place), Anabel Needham (18th place), Nick McKenzie (17th place) and Henry Snider (20th place).
"I'm so proud of how today went," head coach Kristina Owen said. "It's a real treat to get this opportunity to race on our home course where we train day in and day out. This is a true cross country course and it's not an easy one, it's got big hills, muddy sections and some technical footing. Our student-athletes ran their hearts out. They are so gritty and tenacious and absolutely a joy to work with.
"I think we ran really well today. We had a lot of great performances and it looks like we're forming into our end of season form really nicely. We had six athletes receive All-GLIAC honors, which is fantastic. Our top-3 women all set 6k personal-records which is incredible due to the difficulty of our course."
"It was a great day at the Tech Trails today," assistant head coach Robby Young added. "We had great weather and amazing support from our alumni and community. Both squads responded to the opportunity by running their best races of the season. The women's race was very close, with just 12 points separating 3rd-5th place. Similarly, the men were just four points back of third place. We are right there with some of the best teams in our league and region. We have good reason to be hopeful, looking forward to regionals in two weeks."
Hannah Loughlin remained the low-stick for the Huskies with her shiny personal-best of 21:41.0, earning her first team All-GLIAC, finishing ninth.
"I'm really proud of Hannah Loughlin's race today," Young mentioned. "She hung right in there with the top pack, testing her knowledge of this course. Landing a top-10 finish in our league is no small feat."
First-year Sophia Rhein earned second team All-GLIAC accolades along with Anabel Needham. The duo finished seconds from one another, with Rhein running 22:26.6 and Needham clocking in at 22:29.9.
Hailee Zimpel (33rd place), Ingrid Halverson (36th place) and Cedar Gordon (41st place) rounded out the Huskies top-five.
Sam Lange ran a blistering time of 24:43.0 to place sixth overall and earn first team All-GLIAC.
"Sam Lange seems to have completed his return to form after starting the season injured and unable to race," Young mentioned. "He'll be one to watch when we get down to Evansville."
Nick McKenzie finished just overside of the 25-minute barrier to be the second finisher for the Black & Gold, placing 19th overall in 25:06.6. Henry Snider was close behind, finishing 20th overall in 25:19.6 to earn second team All-GLIAC.
The Huskies top-five ran under 25:45, with Ben Conlin (25:37.4) and Callen Carrier (25:42.9) placing 24th and 28th, respectively.
"We're looking forward to regionals in two weeks and our chance to make our final case that we deserve a spot at the National Championships. If our athletes keep doing what they're doing, we've got a real shot," Owens added.
Up Next
The Huskies continue the postseason with a trip to Evansville, Indiana, on November 4 for the NCAA Midwest Regional with a chance to qualify for the NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships.