COLUMBUS, Ohio – Big Ten Champion! Addie Engel of the No. 22-ranked Ohio State women’s cross country team pulled away in the final kilometer to win the 2022 Big Ten Championship, the first individual title in program history. Daniella Santos (fourth) and Andrea Kuhn (sixth) joined Engel in the Top 6, as the Buckeyes placed fourth as a team at the conference meet in Ann Arbor, Mich., Friday.
The Buckeye men, led by Giovanni Copploe who finished 27th, placed eighth, at the championship meet.
All-Big Ten Buckeyes
Addie Engel, Daniella Santos and Andrea Kuhn earned All-Big Ten first team honors by placing in the Top 7, the first season Ohio State has had three first team selections. This is the fourth year in a row the Buckeyes have had at least one all-conference honoree and the third year in a row with at least one among the first six finishers. Engel was fourth last season and Allie Guagenti was fifth in 2020. Engel is the first Buckeye to earn First Team All-Big Ten honors twice.
Quoting Head Coach Sara Mason Vergote
“To put three women in the top seven of this meet is pretty incredible and well deserved. This women’s team as a whole is pretty special.
“I can’t say enough good things about Addie. To be the Big Ten Champion in cross country is a huge accomplishment and I’m so happy for her.
“I’m proud of the fight the men’s team showed today. Gio Copploe had the best race of his career. This is the highest finish for us in a long time and we are only going to continue to trend up.”
Women’s 6K Recap
The trio of Addie Engel, Daniella Santos and Andrea Kuhn was among the Top 14 the entire race and all finished in the Top 6. Ohio State was the only school with three finishers in the Top 12 and only one other school had two in the Top 8, while the Buckeyes had three. The Buckeye trio has been in the Top 10 each of the five races they have run this year.
Engel finished the race in 20 minutes flat, just .4 off her personal best set at NCAA Regionals last year. She was in the Top 3 at the three-mile mark and then made her move, pulling away to finish 4.7 ahead of Michigan State’s Katie Osika in second.
Santos was fourth in 20:15.8, moving from sixth to fourth in the final kilometer. Kuhn ran a career best, finishing in 20:18.7 to come in sixth.
Akemi Von Scherr, who placed 32nd in a time of 21:06.4, and Morgan Schmitt, who ran 21:40.4 to finish 68th, rounded out the Buckeye counters.
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