Spartan Women's Cross Country Wins NCAA Championship

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Led by four individual runners in the top-25, the Michigan State women's cross country team claimed the program's first ever NCAA Cross

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Led by four individual runners in the top-25, the Michigan State women's cross country team claimed the program's first ever NCAA Cross Country Championship on Saturday afternoon. Running in front of a huge crowd of MSU fans, the Spartans finished 62 points ahead of runner-up Iowa State with a team score of 85 points, the lowest total at the NCAA Championships since 2008 (Washington, 79).

"What a great group of people. It's just so much fun to watch," said MSU Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Walt Drenth. "They really did what they've done all year. They stayed patient and they ran well late.They stepped up for each other. It was a great team effort."

"I can't say enough about the kids. I couldn't be more proud of them," stated Drenth. "The way they've handled themselves all year and the way they are a team. The way they trust each other and Coach [Lisa] Senakiewich and I. That's been as gratifying as anything. To win a national championship, it's a really proud moment. I'd really like to thank Spartan nation, that was amazing to hear that 'Go Green, Go White.' I couldn't be more proud to be a Spartan right now."

The depth of the Spartan women's team was once again on display Saturday as Rachele Schulist led four MSU runners in the top-25 and finished fourth overall with a 6K time of 19:54.30. Lindsay Clark was the next Spartan to cross the finish line in 11th place overall with a time of 20:16. Big Ten Women' Champion and Athlete of the Year Leah O'Connor clocked in with a time of 20:20.80 to finish 17th, followed by Julia Otwell (20:29.50) and Sara Kroll (20:56.70) in 21st and 61st, respectively. Alexis Wiersma (69th - 21:01.00) and Katie Landwehr (119th - 21:21.80) rounded out the rotation of MSU runners.

"You can't beat this. These are the best girls in the world," said Schulist. "They're just amazing. I just love our team. We work together and take care of each other and that's what makes us. There's so much love. I love it."

"We knew we put it all out there and it was so fun," added O'Connor. "It was all about the team. This is a bond that will never be broken."

Schulist, Clark, O'Connor and Otwell were each named to the NCAA All-American team following Saturday's race.

"That's just awesome. When we were looking at it, I thought we'd do well if we got four in the top-40. To get four in the top-21 is just another great accomplishment for this group," said Drenth.

The Michigan State men ran to a 24th-place finish with 583 points, led by Alex Wilson in 90th place with a 10K time of 31:29.20. Ben Miller clocked in with a time of 31:50.50 and finished 132nd, followed by Sherod Hardt in 136th place with time of 31:51.60. Caleb Rhynard (161st - 32:03.30) and Ben Carruthers (32:08.10) were the final scorers for the Spartans. Nick Soter (213th - 32:50.00) and Andrew Cusmano (234th - 33:35.00) made up the remainder of the field for MSU.

Saturday's races were hosted by Indiana State University at the Lavern Gibson Championship Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.