Northwest Wayne News

The Wayne State University men's and women's cross country teams are set to compete in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Championship, which will take place on Saturday, October 25, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Both teams recently participated in the SVSU Red October meet, where they each secured first place. The men's team saw Ian Lewis, Parks Allen, and Aidan Lobsinger claim the top three individual spots and placed six runners in the top ten overall. On the women's side, Remi Flanz finished second, Reese Hansen took fourth, and Paige McArdle came in fifth.

The GLIAC Championship races will be held at Calvin University Cross Country Course. The women's 6K race is scheduled for 11:00 AM, followed by the men's 8K at 11:45 AM. After the races conclude, GLIAC will announce several honors including Runner of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Coaching Staff of the Year, and First and Second Team All-GLIAC recipients. Only the top seven individuals from each team are eligible for these awards.

Head Coach Grant Lofdahl discussed expectations for both squads ahead of Saturday's event. On the women's team he stated: "We knew going in that this season was going to be different, just in terms of the women we've graduated over the past couple of years and what they meant to the program. These ladies have accepted the challenge to keep things rolling, and we've had a great mix of returners stepping up and newcomers making huge contributions."

Lofdahl added: "We've been second at the past three GLIAC meets, and our goal from the outset has been to stay in the top-2. Northern Michigan, Saginaw Valley, Michigan Tech and others are going to make that very challenging, but we absolutely are going for it on Saturday. This is the first time in a while that we haven't had a returning All-GLIAC runner competing, but the good news is that we have at least 5-6 people who have that capability. Taylor Hopkins was one place away from All-GLIAC last year, and should be in the mix along with Robin Bresolin, Aubrey Migoski, Emilee Rudlaff, and Anna Gdowski. Ava Peters is having a great season and is among the top freshmen in the region, and Ella Showerman's past few races have shown her potential impact as well."

He also commented on conference competitiveness: "This is probably the deepest the conference has been in a decade, with four teams ranked in the top-7 in the region. We are not one of those four, but these ladies love proving the doubters wrong, and I am confident in their abilities. It will be a very fun race at Gainey."

Regarding preparations for his men's squad Lofdahl said: "This group of men has been locked-in from day one this fall, and they've gotten better and better as the season has progressed. We are a bit light on experience with six of our twelve guys making their GLIAC debuts, but we are heavy on confidence and aerobic fitness."

He continued: "Sean Pettis was fairly close to making All-GLIAC as a freshman, and he is a stronger runner now as a sophomore. Jared Platt is our most experienced runner in terms of championship races, and he's having a breakout year. Glen Davis has been a revelation as a junior transfer, and we're really excited for his GLIAC debut. Getting Ty Nagy back from an injury is a huge deal for us in championship season, and he looks ready to roll. Our depth was something of a question mark in August, but at this point we feel it's a strength of this team. Ethan Pruzinsky, Ian Lewis, Andrew Yax, Parks Allen,and really all twelve Warriors toeing the line on Saturday are training at a high level."

Lofdahl addressed last year's performance as motivation: "Getting bumped down to fifth in the conference last season was a tough pill to swallow,and we set top-3 as the goal for this year.We think that is a realistic goal for this group,and they're excited to get out there on Saturday and chase it down.If we stick to the plan and compete as a team,we are going to have a good time."