yesterday we finally had a return of Big10 XC, and it was a treat for XC fans everywhere! I personally thought the team finishes on the women's side were especially interesting, with Illinois nearly missing a 2nd place finish and being a handful of points off an arguably stacked Minnesota team. Michigan State came in, ran smart and blew away the competition. One noticeable performance or lack thereof-was the 11th ranked Badger women taking home 6th place. I was expecting a dip in performance having lost their 1-2 of Monson and Davis, but the Badgers did not seem to have the same fire some of the top teams came in with. Hopefully their recruiting class of 21 will add some pep back in their step, I expect they are to have one of the best incoming classes in the nation.
On the mens side for teams, Wisconsin had another stellar performance, continuing a legacy of success. Ellenburg and Sharpe were an amazing 1-2 and are sure to have a huge potential impact fo the Badgers at nationals. However, what was the most interesting for me was the amazing pack Indiana showed up with, swamping places 8-11 with their 5th hardly a second off of 12th position.
Overall, the meet was overshadowed by the absence of Michigan, but hopefully we get a chance to see them battle the rest of the Big10 if they make a nationals berth in the coming weeks.
Thoughts? Nationals predictions?