To qualify for the NCAA Division I Championships, a team must finish in the top two at their regional meet, or, be selected as one of the fourteen at-large bids. The top four individuals at each regional not on a qualifying team also qualify for the championship meet, provided they also finish in the top twenty-five at the regional meet. Two more at-large runners are selected across the country following the the conclusion of all the regional meets.
Michigan State is hosting the Great Lakes Region at their Forest Akers East Golf Course on campus. The meet is Friday, November 13th, starting at 10am.
Men's
Notre Dame and Wisconsin are the two highest ranked teams coming in. Notre Dame is ranked at #11 and is coming off a fourth place finish at the ACC Championships. Wisconsin is ranked #16 and were runners-up at the Big Ten Championships. Michigan State is ranked #24 and was third at the Big Ten Championships. They appear to be in contention for an at-large bid if they do not automatically qualify. Also in contention for an at-large bid are #26 Butler and #29 Toledo. Butler was fourth at the Big East Championships and Toledo won the MAC title.
The top two runners in the race are William Zegarski of Butler and Ethan Coleman of Notre Dame. Zegarski is ranked #32 in the country and was the Big East runner-up. Coleman is ranked #45 and took First-Team honors at the ACC Championships. Looking at the at-large bids could be Nathan Lopez of Michigan, Trent McFarland of Michigan, Izaiah Steury of IU-Indy and Noah Nyageo of Akron. This is provided the teams listed above all make the championship meet as either an automatic qualifier or at-large selection.
Women's
The two runaway favorites in this race are #11 Notre Dame and #16 Toledo. The Fighting Irish and the Rockets are the only teams at the meet ranked in the top fourty, nationally. Notre Dame was 6th at the ACC Championships and Toledo won the MAC title. The odds of any other team making it to the NCAA Championships are small, but if any have a chance it would be Michigan, Indiana or Michigan State, as they the only teams ranked in or near the top fifty.
The number one runner at the meet is freshman sensation Katy Zang of Indiana. Zang is ranked #5 in the nation and set the 3200m high school record last year. Zang should be an individual qualifier along what is projected to be Mercy Jebitok of Toledo, Purity Chepkirui of Akron, and Mary Bonner Dalton of Akron.
To qualify for the NCAA Division I Championships, a team must finish in the top two at their regional meet, or, be selected as one of the fourteen at-large bids. The top four individuals at each regional not on a qualifying team also qualify for the championship meet, provided they also finish in the top twenty-five at the regional meet. Two more at-large runners are selected across the country following the the conclusion of all the regional meets.
Michigan State is hosting the Great Lakes Region at their Forest Akers East Golf Course on campus. The meet is Friday, November 13th, starting at 10am.
Men's
Notre Dame and Wisconsin are the two highest ranked teams coming in. Notre Dame is ranked at #11 and is coming off a fourth place finish at the ACC Championships. Wisconsin is ranked #16 and were runners-up at the Big Ten Championships. Michigan State is ranked #24 and was third at the Big Ten Championships. They appear to be in contention for an at-large bid if they do not automatically qualify. Also in contention for an at-large bid are #26 Butler and #29 Toledo. Butler was fourth at the Big East Championships and Toledo won the MAC title.
