BIG TEN SQUAD
The women’s team will have 12 student-athletes racing in Ann Arbor, while the men will have eight in uniform. The men’s team consists of Emmet Anderson, Leo Goodman, Eli Hoeft, Noah Kohut-Jackson, Aaron Leavens, Owen Lindseth, Dan VanAcker, and Griffin Ward. The women’s team will be represented by Emma Atkinson, Elsa Bergman, Lila Branchaw, Brianne Brewster, Zoie Dundon, Ceci Howes, Delia Johnson, Taylor Kreitinger, Caroline Mendyk, Erin Reidy, Izzy Roemer, and Ali Weimer.
ABOUT BIG TENS
Wisconsin will host the Big Ten Cross Country Championships for the first time since 2010. The event will take place on Friday, Oct. 27. Fans can park at Blackhawk Church and take a free shuttle to the course starting at 9 a.m. Awards will be given to the top seven finishers (First Team All-Big Ten) and to those who finish between eighth and 14th (Second Team All-Big Ten).
LAST TIME OUT
The last time the full Minnesota cross country team competed was at the XC23 Pre-Nationals Meet in Charlottesville, Va., on Oct. 14. The women’s team finished 19th and the men’s team finished 22nd. Emmet Anderson finished 40th overall in the men’s race with a lifetime best time of 24:02.9. Brianne Brewster finished first for the women’s team with a time of 21:10.6, placing 63rd overall.
A FAMILIAR COURSE
Earlier this season, the University of Minnesota competed at the Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in the Big Ten Preview meet. The men’s team won the meet and the women’s team finished fourth. It was the men’s first win away from home since 2018, earning them the title of NCAA Team of the Week. Shane Griepentrog finished fourth in the men’s 8000m race, and Taylor Kreitinger finished tenth in the women’s 5000m race.
BIG TEN HISTORY
The women’s team won the team title at the 2021 Big Ten Championships, marking their first team title since 2008. Megan Hasz won the individual title, following her sister Bethany Hasz’s previous win for the Gophers. Only Emma Atkinson and Brianne Brewster remain from that championship roster. The men’s team finished 10th last season, with Emmet Anderson as the top finisher. Eli Hoeft is the only remaining member of the team’s top finish in 2021.
UP NEXT
The Maroon and Gold will continue their championship season with the NCAA Midwest Regional on Friday, Nov. 10. The teams will head to Stillwater, Okla., where Oklahoma State will host the Regional Championship on the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course.
