Men's cross to work on closing gaps
The men’s cross country team has two goals for its third meet of the season: run smart and run together.
The Chippewas will work toward those goals Saturday in Louisville, Ky., for the Greater Louisville Classic.
“What we’re looking for right now is for the (guys) to run together as a team,” said cross country director Willie Randolph.
Assistant coach Matt Kaczor said he would like to see the team stay close to its competition throughout the races.
“We’ve got to close the gaps up. If we can close that gap, then we can start looking a lot better,” Kaczor said. “But, until that point, we need to keep talking like we’re just an average, ordinary team.”
That gap was evident on Sept. 18 at the Spartan Invitational, as senior Riak Mabil led the team with a ninth-place finish, followed by sophomore Jeremy Kiley and junior Chris Pankow placing 30th and 44th, respectively.
“We ran at Michigan State two weeks ago and not everybody was together,” Mabil said. “We’re trying to run collectively as a team (this weekend).”
The team will come out with a stronger lineup Saturday, adding senior Jacob Korir, who will compete for the first time this season and provide a third veteran presence alongside Mabil and junior Sammy Kiprotich.
Fourth man
The Chippewas continue to prepare and work toward Michigan Intercollegiates and the Mid-American Conference Championships, and that includes looking for a fourth runner to help solidify the lineup.
The spot is open for Kiley, Pankow and junior Adam Smith, Kaczor said.
One surprise so far this season is Harbor Springs freshman Tecumseh Adams, who finished third overall at the Jeff Drenth Memorial Sept. 4 in Mount Pleasant.
“He’s coming together as a freshman better than anticipated,” Kaczor said.
Sophomore Matt Lutzke will sit out Saturday’s race and return Oct. 9 at Michigan Intercollegiates.
“(There’s going to be) a wide range of high-end schools, low-end schools – so fitting in the middle there, it’s going to be on us to decide on how well we want to compete as a team,” Randolph said.
The Chippewas retained their preseason No. 14 Great Lakes region ranking this week, according to the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
