Bulldog Cross Country Teams Race At NCAA Midwest Regional Championships On Saturday
Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's and women's cross country teams will compete in the 2023 NCAA Division II Midwest Region Cross Country Championships being held this Saturday (Nov. 4) in Evansville, Ind.
The Midwest Region consists of teams from the Great Lakes Valley Conference, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
This year's event will be hosted again at Angel Mounds, a historic Native American community inhabited more than 1,000 years ago. It is being hosted by the Evansville Regional Sports Commission along with the GLVC.
The women's 6K race is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. (CT), while the men's 10k starts at 11:15 a.m. (CT).
The top three teams in each race advance to the NCAA II National Championships, which are November 18 in Joplin, Mo., while the top two individuals, or all individuals in the top five, who are not on an advancing team automatically qualify for nationals as well. The remaining teams and individuals will have to await word on whether they are among the 10 teams or eight individuals, nationwide, that receive an at-large bid.
A total of nine states will be represented at the regional meet, including schools from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
The Bulldog men's squad has advanced to the national championships twice since 2012, which was the program's first since 1985. FSU went on to place 10th at the NCAA Division II National Championships after advancing out of the regional. The Bulldogs placed seventh in regional action in 2014.
Meanwhile, the women's team has qualified for the NCAA-II Nationals five times in the last 15 years following strong performances at the Midwest Regional.
The Ferris State men's and women's cross country teams are guided by former Bulldog standout and local native Jared Kelsh.