Two Ferris State Runners Finish Among Top Seven At D2 Midwest Regional Championships

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's and women's cross country teams each had a top 10 individual finisher as both squads raced in the 2018 NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Cross Country Championships on Saturday (Nov. 17) in Hillsdale, Mich.

FSU's Katie Etelamaki placed sixth overall in the women's field while senior Damien Halverson was seventh in the men's race as each finished among the top runners in the region.

In a strong and highly-competitive women's field, the Bulldogs tallied 314 total points in placing 10th overall of more than 30 schools.

Along with Etelamaki's performance on the 6K course, the Bulldogs' Taylor Thrush placed 71st at 23:45.9 with Jordan Lee taking 75th place (23:53.8) and Kylie Hutchinson coming in 76th (23:53.9).

The Bulldogs' Jennifer Eaton finished 86th (24:05.2) and Paige Deitering was 99th (24;18.5) as each of FSU's top six performers placed among the top 100 in the race.

Meanwhile, in the men's competition, the Bulldogs finished 21st overall with 529 points in the race.

Halverson clocked 31:53.6 in the 10K event in leading the Bulldog men while Mark Jacobs was next in line at the 84th spot (33:54.6) overall. FSU's Weston Rackley came in 131st (34:41.3).

Ferris State's Aaron Jarema finished 148th (35:13.7) with Zach McKenzie 159th (35:30.1) and Ethan Israels 162nd (35:41.0) in the competition.

The Midwest Region consists of teams from the Great Lakes Valley Conference, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. A total of 78 cross country programs competed in the event.