Nov. 15, 2007

Complete Release in PDF Format

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

The No. 7 Michigan State Spartan women travel to Terre Haute, Ind. on Monday Nov. 19, for the 2007 NCAA Championships, hosted by Indiana State University. The women received an automatic bid to the championships after winning the Great Lakes Regional meet last Saturday, by three points (60) over Big Ten rival Michigan. The men's team was unsuccessful in their bid for an at-large berth to this year's meet. The 2007 championships will be the fourth-straight held by Indiana State.

TELEVISION COVERAGE

The NCAA announced Monday that the 2007 Division I Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships will be broadcast live on CSTV, marking the first time the championships will be seen on live television. The men's race will start at noon ET, with the women's race to follow.

LAST YEAR

The women's team finished 12th in last year's NCAA Championships. Alissa McKaig was the top finisher for the Spartans, coming in at 21:06.70, for 10th place, and earning All-America accolades for her performance.

THUS FAR

Ranked as No. 1 in the Great Lakes Region, the MSU women's team has had an impressive season. The Spartans have finished third in the first two team-scored events of the season, came in second at the Big Ten Championships, and first place in last weekend's Great Lakes Regionals. Nicole Bush was the top Spartan finisher on Saturday, coming in with a time of 20:34.47, placing second, and recording her fifth top-five finish in six races this season. Alissa McKaig finished in eighth place with a time of 21:08.44, her fifth top-10 finish in six races this fall. Lisa Senakiewich finished in 10th place (21:20.28), crossing the finish line in the top-12 in four of six races this year.. The Bush-McKaig-Senakiewich trio has finished one-two-three in five of six events for the Spartans in 2007, and received All-Big Ten Team honors for their performances at the Big Ten Championships. Bush took home first-team accolades, while McKaig and Senakiewich were selected to the second team.

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY

The Spartan women have never won a team championship or had an inividual champion in NCAA Championships history. This will be the MSU women's seventh-consecutive appearance at the championships. Since 1981, Michigan State has sent nine teams to the championships and seven individuals. The best team-finish came in 1981, as the Spartans finished in fourth place. The top-time in MSU history was earned in 2003* by Michelle Carson, who finished with a time of 20:13.1, as she came in 12th. Alissa McKaig has the best finish in school history, crossing the finish line in 10th place in 2006, with a time of 21:06.70. * In 2000, the women's race distance was changed from 5K to 6K.