A look at each Big Ten team as cross-country prepares for the conference season.
By Adam Hensley
[email protected]
Entering this week, the Big Ten has four cross-country teams in the top 25 polls. Wisconsin leads the pack at fourth, Michigan comes in at 10th, with Indiana and Michigan State following at 17th and 25th.
Head coach Layne Anderson believes that the Big Ten is one of the top two or three conferences every year.
Anderson’s squad will face its first conference opponent (Purdue) on Friday when it travels to West Bend for the Notre Dame Invitational.
“Running against the Big Ten is a lot of fun but also a challenge,” junior Ben Anderson said. “It’s one of the best conference in the country from top to bottom.”
Wisconsin, sitting in the top five of the polls, catches the attention of the Iowa runners.
“They have a solid team every year and never stop reloading,” sophomore Michael Melchert said.
Layne Anderson agrees.
“Historically, Wisconsin has dominated the conference and is a model of consistency for us to aspire toward in our future,” he said.
Michigan is in the conversation as well.
“Both have most of their teams back and have a lot of improvement from their back end,” senior Anthony Gregorio said. “They will definitely catch the eye of the national circuit this season.”
Despite all the hype surrounding the top Big Ten teams, Layne Anderson believes Iowa is also a force to be reckoned with.
“I think we stand out,” he said. “We really have not shown what we are capable of yet. I have seen it in workouts, and I have seen the grind we have put forth. I truly believe we will be ready to execute when the time comes.”
As for the other 11 Big Ten cross-country teams, here is how they have fared early in the season:
Penn State: The Nittany Lions won their first meet of the season and went on to place third at their second meet. They also received six votes for the top 25.
Indiana: Dominating their first meet of the season, the Hoosiers won the Indiana Open, then placed third at the Indiana Intercollegiate.
Michigan State: In the Spartan’s only scored meet of the year, they won the Roy Griak Invitational, placing four runners in the top 15.
Ohio State: The Buckeyes placed second in both their meets, the Dayton Flyer 5K Challenge and the Commodore Classic.
Michigan: For the first time since 2008, the Wolverines are ranked in the top 10. Michigan won the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational, topping Syracuse, the No. 3 team in the country.
Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights placed second at the Fordham Fiasco and sixth at the Rider Invitational.
Illinois: Illinois placed first at the Illini Challenge, third at the Bluegrass Cross-Country Invitational, and first at the Brissman-Lundeen Invitational.
Minnesota: Receiving seven votes to be in the top 25, the Gophers won the Timmons Dual Classic, finished second at the Oz Memorial, and fifth at the Griak Invitational.
Wisconsin: The No. 4 team won the Badger Season Opener as well as the Iona College Meet of Champions.
Nebraska: The Huskers won the Augustana Twilight meet and the Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational.
Purdue: Purdue won the Crusader Open and placed third at the Coast to Coast Battle.
With tough competition on the way, Layne Anderson is eager to see how his team competes.
“We have a great group of distance runners who recognize the challenge that awaits them, but it is exciting to see them embrace that challenge and prepare with tremendous purpose,” he said.
Follow @A_Hens83 on Twitter for Iowa cross-country news, analysis, and updates.