Top Chippewas to sit out Friday's Spartan Invitational
On Friday, the Chippewas will travel to East Lansing for the 2015 Spartan Invitational. Top runners from both the men’s and women’s teams will not be participating in the race.
Head Coach Matt Kaczor is holding out seniors Nate Ghena and Dekalita Silas and sophomore Emmanuel Joseph, who were the top runners at the Jeff Drenth Memorial on Sept. 4.
For the women, sophomore Kirsten Olling, seniors Breanne Lesnar and Alyssa Dyer, junior Michaela Bundy and redshirt freshman Megan O’Neil will not run. Olling was the top runner for the Chippewas at the Jeff Drenth Memorial.
“For this meet, we are running our people that are looking to gain experience like the freshman and the veterans that are racing to get themselves in the top nine,” Kaczor said. “The women's side for us should be a battle to see who will compete the following weekend. Five to 10 runners have been really close in practice.”
The top nine runners from each team will travel to the Roy Griak Invite Sept. 26 at Minnesota.
The Spartan Invite is host to a wide range of competition, including fellow Mid-American Conference teams Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan. Big Ten schools Michigan and Michigan State will compete as well as a few community colleges and running clubs.
In total, 34 teams, including Central Michigan, will be competing in the men’s and women’s races.
“MSU is a great mix of all collegiate divisions,” Kaczor said. “For us, this meet provides a great experience for our new athletes to get a feel for the college distance since it is the first time the ladies will race a 6k and the men will run 8k.
“We are just doing everything we can to prepare us for October and November. This is a key step for our athletes to get ready for those races.”
