So, what can fans expect this weekend?
NCAA Great Lakes Regional - Friday, Nov. 9, 2012 - Thomas Zimmer Course, Madison, Wis.
The University of Wisconsin is slated to host the Great Lakes Regional Cross Country Championships on Friday. The competition gets underway at noon with the women's race, while the men's race will follow at 1:15 p.m. Competition will be held at the Thomas Zimmer Course.
Men:
The top three teams on the men's side are Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana. Wisconsin is the clear favorite to come out of the Great Lakes Regional having been ranked No. 1 in the region and No. 6 in the latest national rankings by USTFCCCA. Wisconsin enters Friday's competition after winning its 14th-straight Big Ten team title on October 28. The Badgers placed four runners in the top seven, led by second and third-place finishes by Maverick Darling (23:35) and Mohammed Ahmed (23:36), respectively. Wisconsin claimed the title with 33 points over Michigan (65) and Indiana (79).
Women:
On the women's side, the top three teams are Michigan, Michigan State and Toledo. Michigan enters Friday competition as the favorite within the Great Lakes Region. The Wolverines captured the Big Ten team title on October 28, tallying up 55 points to ease past runner-up Michigan State (75). Led by a third-place finish from Rebecca Addison, and top-14 place finishes from Amanda Eccelston, Jillian Smith and Shannon Osika, the Wolverines secured victory over the Spartans.
West Regional - Friday, Nov. 9, 2012 - Jefferson Park Golf Course, Seattle, WA.
The University of Washington is scheduled to host the West Regional Cross Country Championships on Friday. The women's competition is slated to get underway at noon, followed by the men's action at 1:15.
Men:
The top three teams on the men's are Stanford, Portland and Oregon. Stanford enters this week's competition as the No. 3 team in nation after finishing second, ahead of No. 11 Oregon, at the Pac-12 Championships on October 27. Joe Rosa led the Cardinals in that race with a six-place finish in 23:35. Oregon placed two runners in the top-5 with Trevor Dunbar and Parker Stinson, finishing third (23:28) and fourth (23:28), respectively. Portland (32 points) won the West Coast Championship on October 27, by edging out second-place BYU (33).
Women:
On the women's side, the West Region appears to be the most stack among other regions. Four of the teams entered for Friday's competition rank in the top 10 in the latest national rankings. It will be hard to pick a favorite between these four teams. But based off the latest national rankings and October 27th's Pac 12 Championships, Oregon is the favorite out of this region. Led by Jordan Hasay, Alexi Pappas, Allie Woodward, the Ducks captured their eighth title in Oregon history. Arizona was second while Stanford placed third in the final team standings. Stanford's Kathy Kroeger won the individual title over Hasay (20:10) in 20 minutes, 6 seconds.
Mid-Atlantic Regional - Friday, Nov. 9, 2012 - University Park, State College, PA.
State College, Pa. will host the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on Friday at the University Park. Competition with begin with the women's race at noon, followed by the men at 1:15.
Men:
The Mid-Atlantic Regional is evenly spread as far as competition goes. Though only two teams are ranked in the USTFCCCA Top 30 nationally -- No. 13 Princeton and No. 24 Georgetown -- fans can still expect to see quality competition among all teams. Princeton, winners of the Ivy League Conference, are the favorites. Chris Bendtsen and Alejandro Arroyo Yamin swept the top two spots at the Ivy League meet, with Bendtsen winning in 23:41.8 and Yamin at 23:48.1. The Tigers won their third straight league title and captured its sixth title in the last seven years. Georgetown placed second at the Big East Conference Championships, highlighted by Andrew Springer's and Ben Furcht's sixth and seventh-place finishes respectively.
Women:
On the women's side, Georgetown, Penn State, Villanova lead the top teams in action this week. Georgetown enters this week's competition coming off a Big East Championship Title. In that meet, the Hoyas placed five runners in the top 20 led by Madeline Chambers, who placed seventh with a time of 21:00. Fellow teammates Katrina Coogan and Annamarie Maag finished eighth and tenth with times of 21:04 and 21:15, respectively. Penn State finished third at the Big Ten Championships as a team.
Southeast Regional - Friday, Nov. 9, 2012 - McAlpine Park, Charlotte, NC.
McAlpine Park will play host to another big cross country meet on Friday in Charlotte. Competition is scheduled to begin with the women's race at noon and the men will follow at 1:15 p.m.
Men:
The top three teams in this region include Eastern Kentucky, Virginia Tech and Virginia. Each team is ranked in the USTFCCCA Top 30 with Eastern Kentucky at No. 15, Virginia Tech at No. 17, and Virginia at No. 21. Eastern Kentucky enters Friday's competition as winners of the Ohio Valley Conference. Led by Soufiane Bouchikhi's first place finish, Eastern Kentucky captured its 21st overall conference championship title. The Virginia Tech men won its school's first title on October 27, behind the efforts of Will Mulherin. Mulherin won the individual title with a time of 23:37.
Women:
For the women, Duke, William & Mary and NC State lead the way. No. 10 Duke enters this week's competition fresh off their second-place finish at the ACC Championships. In that meet, Duke placed four runners in the top 20, highlighted by Juliet Bottorff's (20:10.60) third place finish and Kelsey Lakowske's (20:23) sixth place finish. William & Mary, winners of the Colonial conference, are the No. 19 team in the latest national rankings by USTFCCCA.