KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Western Michigan cross country team continues its season on Friday morning at the Joe Piane Invite, hosted by Notre Dame. The Broncos will hit the course at 10 am.
LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan is coming off of a third-place finish at the George Dales Invite back on Sept. 18. Four Broncos were among the top-12 finishers in the 6K race, led by
Lily Overton, who clocked a 6K PR time of 20:45.4 to take third overall.
Lillian Zelasko also cracked the top-10, crossing the line in sixth.
Ava Kurczewski and
Rebekah Asselin finished 11th and 12th, respectively, with Asselin shaving nearly a minute off of her previous 6K PR.
Kaelin Hughes rounded out WMU's scoring lineup by finishing 37th.
A LOADED FIELD
Known for having one of the best fields in the country every year, this year's Joe Piane Invite features three of the top-12 teams in the USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll, including top-ranked NC State. The field also includes six teams ranked in the latest Great Lakes Regional poll. Last year, the Brown and Gold finished 18th in the loaded field, with
Lily Overton posting a PR to lead the way.
BUILT FOR BRONCOS
The course at the Joe Piane Invite has treated the Broncos well over the years, with seven of Western Michigan's eight runners for this week having set their 5K PRs in previous editions of the event.
Rebekah Asselin,
Kaelin Hughes,
Ava Kurczewski and
Lily Overton all set their best 5K marks in last year's event,
Shannon Gillahan and
Lillian Zelasko's top 5K times came in the 2024 edition, and
Madison Clor clocked her best 5K time at the 2023 Joe Piane Invite.
HOLDING STRONG IN THE TOP-10
After earning a No. 9 ranking in the USTFCCCA preseason poll for the Great Lakes Region, the highest preseason ranking in program history, the Broncos remained ninth in the first regional poll of the regular season last week. After not racing last week, Western Michigan checks in at No. 10 in the latest Great Lakes Region poll. This week's poll featured seven Mid-American Conference squads in the top-15, with Toledo leading the way at No. 2. Also appearing in this week's poll from the MAC are Akron (#6), Miami (#7), Bowling Green (#8), Ohio (#11) and Ball State (#15).
WHO'S COMPETING? (Denotes 5K PR)
Rebekah Asselin (17:58.1)
Madison Clor (18:40.9)
Shannon Gillahan (19:40.3)
Kaelin Hughes (17:50.0)
Ava Kurczewski (18:19.7)
Larissa McGrath (18:20.1)
Lily Overton (17:17.7)
Lillian Zelasko (17:36.7)
