PREVIEW: GLIAC Women's Cross Country Championship
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech women's cross country is set to compete in a 6K race at the 2021 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships at 11 a.m. Saturday, October 23. Saginaw Valley State hosts the event at a course located at the entrance of campus right off of M84.
The Huskies did not run in 2020-21 and finished third as a team at the 2019-20 GLIAC Championships, hosted by Purdue Northwest in Westville, Indiana. Grand Valley State comes in as a heavy favorite again this season after winning a 19th straight GLIAC title in 2018-19, with five runners inside the top 10.
Grand Valley State (No. 2), Saginaw Valley State (No. 23), and Wayne State (No. 27) were ranked inside the Top-30 USTFCCCA Division II rankings in the latest National poll. Michigan Tech has also been ranked in two weekly polls this fall.
LAST TIME OUT
A contingent of Huskies competed in the Northern Michigan Scrimmage last Saturday in Marquette. The last scorable event was the Lewis Crossover, where Tech placed 13th in a 24-team field in Romeoville, Illinois on October 10.
Michigan Tech also took 10th at the Blugold Invitational (October 1), ninth at the Roy Griak Invitational (September 24), and second at the Wayne State Warrior Invitational (September 10). All four meets were 6K distances.
LEADING THE HUSKIES
- Junior Michelle Bollini (Charlevoix, Michigan) has been one of the Huskies most consistent top finishers this fall. Bollini has one top-5 finish and a top 6K time of 23:16.2 at the Wayne State Warrior Invitational. She is coming off a strong outdoor track and field season, where she took eighth place in the conference in the 5K. Bollini finished 47th in her last GLIAC Cross Country Championship appearance.
- Junior Sam Kurkowski (Roseville, Minnesota) is another runner to watch Saturday. Kurkowski crossed the line sixth at the Wayne State Warrior Invitational posted a season best 23:15.6 time at the Lewis Crossover her last time out, fastest on the team. In 2019, Kurkowski placed 26th at the GLIAC Cross Country Championships and 40th at the 2019 NCAA Division II Midwest Region Cross Country Championships, with a personal best time of 22:09.7.
YOUNGER CONTRIBUTORS
- Freshman Elsa Huckles (Stillwater, Minnesota) made a good impression in her first collegiate race by finishing 14th at the Wayne State Warrior Invitational.
- Sophomore Anabel Needham posted a personal best time of 23:53.2 at the Roy Griak Invitational, good for 48th place and third best on the squad.
- Freshman Miranda Meyers (South Lyon, Michigan) was the first Husky to cross the finish line at the Blugold Invitational on October 1. Meyers posted the 33rd fastest time with a personal best time, 23:39.7.
MICHIGAN TECH FASTEST FINISHERS - BY EVENT
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| Wayne State Warrior | Michelle Bollini (5th) | Sam Kurkowski (6th) | Elsa Huckles (12th) | Ingrid Halverson (14th) | Chloe Strach (15th) |
| Roy Griak Invite | Michelle Bollini (26th) | Sam Kurkowski (35th) | Anabel Needham (48th) | Ingrid Halverson (62nd) | Theresa Passe (78th) |
| Blugold Invite | Miranda Meyers (33rd) | Abby Martin (53rd) | Mady VanWieren (74th) | Jenna Disser (99th) | Bailie Falla (138th) |
| Lewis Crossover | Sam Kurkowski (41st) | Michelle Bollini (77th) | Chloe Strach (89th) | Ingrid Halverson (93rd) | Miranda Meyers (98th) |
IF YOU'RE GOING
- Tickets are $8 at the gate or fans can BUY ONLINE to save $3.
- Doors open at 9:45 a.m. National Anthem is at 10:45 a.m.
- Currently, there are no restrictions placed on spectators for Saginaw Valley State outdoor competitions.
- SVSU does recommend wearing masks and 6ft social distancing while at outdoor sporting competitions.
- Only the top seven individuals from each team are eligible for All-GLIAC Awards.
- The women's championship 6K race consists of a mostly non-repeating course, the only repeating portion being an interior kilometer loop.
- Awards to be presented include second team all-conference (11-20 finishers), first team all-conference (Top 10 finishers), GLIAC Cross Country MVP (Individual Champion), Team Championship Trophies, Freshman of the Year Award, and Coach of the Year.