Michigan Men Selected for NCAA Championships At-Large Berth
11/13/2021 5:00:00 PM
// Kyle Terwillegar
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The No. 12-ranked University of Michigan men’s cross country team has been selected for the NCAA Cross Country Championships, the NCAA announced Saturday evening (Nov. 13) during its selection show.
After emerging from the NCAA Great Lakes Regional on Friday (Nov. 12) with a third-place finish in a final-kilometer battle against Michigan State and Butler, the Wolverines were granted one of the 13 at-large berths up for grabs for those teams that did not finish top-two in one of the nine regionals around the country.
The NCAA meet is scheduled for next Saturday (Nov. 20) in Tallahassee, Fla.
This marks a return to nationals for the Wolverines after circumstances surrounding an untimely department-wide COVID-19 precautionary shutdown ultimately prevented a fourth-straight appearance last season. They will join the Wolverine women in Tallahassee after they qualified for the 20th consecutive season.
The process for deciding at-large berths comes down to the accumulation of head-to-head victories up to and including the regional meet over teams that qualified for nationals.
Michigan performed up to expectations in a series of regular-season contests at Penn State, Notre Dame and Wisconsin, setting itself up for a strong postseason run. At the Big Ten Championships, the Wolverines finished as the runners-up.
On Friday, the Wolverines moved up from fourth to third in the final kilometer of the 10-kilometer (6.21-mile) regional race to best position themselves for an at-large berth. They bypassed a nationally ranked Butler squad and held off in-state rival Michigan State.
Next Saturday’s NCAA Championships for the men will be run at 11:10 a.m. at the Apalachee Regional Park Cross Country Course live on ESPNU. The men’s race will be preceded by the women’s race at 10:20 a.m.
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