Nov. 11, 2006

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -

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The Michigan State women's cross country team beat two top-10 nationally ranked teams on the way to winning the Great Lakes Regional on Nov. 11. It was the third Regional Championship in school history and the first title since 2001. MSU entered the race ranked No. 11 in the country and with the win, automatically advances to its sixth-straight NCAA Championship on Nov. 20 in Terre Haute, Ind. The Spartan men finished fourth at the regional meet, and will have to await the announcement of at-large selections for entrance to the national meet.

"It is a great day to be a Spartan," Michigan State associate head coach Rita Arndt-Molis said. "We are proud of our performance and the way both teams asserted themselves. The combination of the men's and women's programs this year has made the difference."

Placing five runners in the top 25, the Michigan State women totaled 63 points, edging No. 5 Wisconsin by three and No. 3 Michigan by 26 points. Sophomore Alissa McKaig continued to make her presence felt, placing second in the 6K race with a time of 21:00.26. She has finished sixth or higher at every meet this season. Senior Michelle Rafferty was not far behind, placing seventh at 21:03.59.

Juniors Nicole Bush (12th, 21:25.63), Katie Kelly (17th, 21:49.38) and sophomore Sara Price (25th, 21:58.07) rounded out the Spartan top five.

All five Spartans were named to the Great Lakes All-Regional Team for their effort, the most ever in a single season for Michigan State. It was Rafferty's second such accolade, as she was also a 2004 selection.

"This win was an absolute team effort," Arndt-Molis said. "We had been making progress all year long and knew the best was yet to come. We had a business-like approach and just went out and did the job."

Also competing for MSU was freshman Diane Hamilton and junior Emily Adama, finishing 51st (22:32.50) and 97th (23:21.96), respectively.

"Diane (Hamilton) had a great race," Arndt-Molis said. "We have been waiting for someone to come into that sixth spot, and she really did that today."

Finishing fourth, the Spartan men put themselves in good position to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships. The top two teams from each of the nine regions in the nation automatically advance. Thirteen at-large selections are made, based on a school's placing and teams beat throughout the year. Those making the cut will be announced on Monday, Nov. 13.

"The men got off to a slow start this season, but really kicked it in at the Big Ten Championships two weeks ago," Arndt-Molis said. "Today definitely improved their chances of earning a bid."

Michigan State improved three spots from its seventh-place finish at the regional a year ago and was ranked sixth in the region entering today's meet. Junior Stephan Shay and seniors Justin Zanotti and Matt Bartlebaugh were all named All-Regional runners.

No. 1, and defending National Champion, Wisconsin ran away with the men's 10K race, totaling 52 points. The Spartans were just 11 points out of second place, scoring 113, and beat No. 11 Michigan by 89 points.

Shay paced Michigan State for the fifth-straight meet this season, placing 12th in 31:33.80. Zanotti took 16th (31:38.16) and Bartlebaugh finished 21st (31:47.73). Rounding out the top five was junior Adam Sprangel in 29th (31:59.17) and freshman Nick Kastefaras, placing 35th (32:05.11). Also competing for the Spartans were sophomore Dustin Voss (38th, 32:14.32) and junior Jim Pancoast (67th, 32:45.49).