More Than 2,800 Athletes Compete in 20th Annual Live In Lou Cross Country Classic in Louisville
MIT Men, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Women Win NCAA Division III Cross Country Pre-Nationals
Michigan Women, Wisconsin Men Dominate Strong Fields to Win Featured Races
Louisville, Ky. – Oct. 2, 2021 – A total of six college cross country races, including men’s and women’s pre-nationals races for the 2021 NCAA Division III National Championship, were contested during the 20th annual Live in Lou Cross Country Classic at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park (Sawyer). More than 2,800 runners representing 140 colleges and universities competed Saturday morning and early afternoon under ideal weather and course conditions in front of more than 5,000 spectators.
MIT’s men’s team coasted to a win in the 8,000-meter DIII Pre-Nationals with a score of 46, placing six runners in the top 20. The Engineers were led by fifth-place finisher Andrew Mah. Claremont-Mudd-Scrippps finished second in the team scoring with 135, followed by Emory in third with 137.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps dominated the women’s 6,000-meter DIII Pre-Nationals with a score on 43 on the strength of four top-10 finishers. The Stags were led by Natalie Bitetti who finished third. UW-LA Crosse finished second in the team scoring with 70, followed by Calvin in third with 153.
Simon Hays of Wilmington won the men’s Pre-Nationals (24:11.4), edging out Jeff Joseph of Mount Union (24:14.8). Ethan Gregg of UW-La Crosse finished third with a time of 24:26.3. Evie Bultemeyer of Trine dominated the women’s race with a time of 21:32.3. Annika Urban of Emory was second (24:49.1), followed by Bitetti (22:00.9).
The Louisville Sports Commission and Spalding University will host the NCAA DIII Cross Country National Championships on November 20 over the same course at Sawyer.
The University of Wisconsin from the Big 10 dominated the featured men’s Gold Race at 8,000 meters with four finishers in the top 10 and a score of 26. Division II powerhouse Grand Valley State finished second with 67 points, led by race winner Isaac Harding (23:16.7) and two other top 20 finishers. The Badger’s Olin Hacker finished a close second at 23:18.1. Wisconsin’s Bob Liking was a close third (23:21.5).
National powerhouse Michigan dominated the women’s 5,000-meter Gold Race with a winning score of 39, led by four top 10 finishers. Wisconsin ran second with 75 points, followed by West Virginia with 122. The Mountaineers’ Ceili McCabe ran clear of the pack to win at 16:27.8, with the Badgers’ Kayla Windmueller second with a time of 16:41.3. Karmen Riano from Miami of Ohio ran third at 16:42.3.
Grand Valley State’s second wave dominated the 8,000-meter men’s Blue Race with three top 20 finishes and a score of 84. Purdue-Ft. Wayne was second with 189 and Lewis ran third at 243. In a sprint to the finish line, Gideon Sigei (24:.03.2) from Lincoln Memorial barely edged out Northern Kentucky’s Kyle Mastin (24:03:8). Cesar Arrellano from Bowling Green finished third with a time of 24:40.01.
Grand Valley State’s women’s team won the 5,000-meter Blue Race with a score of 94 on the strength of four top 25 finishers. Marshall was second with 149 and Northern Kentucky finished third with 204. Marshall’s Abby Herring was a clear winner at 17:45.7, followed by Alex Ebitino from St. Francis (IN) at 17:51.1. Madison King from Purdue-Ft. Wayne ran third (17.59.8).
Eastern High School conducted elementary, middle and high school races Friday and Saturday afternoons. The youth and prep races attracted nearly 2,800 competitors from six states. The two events combined for the largest cross country meet in the country.