Lansing Sun

Michigan State University's cross country teams are set to compete in the 2024 Big Ten Cross Country Championships, which will be held at the Orange and Blue Golf Course in Savoy, Illinois. The event is hosted by the University of Illinois.

The competition schedule includes the women's 6k race starting at 11:35 a.m. ET, followed by the men's 8k race at 12:35 p.m. ET.

This year's championships mark the first participation of four new schools—Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington—in the Big Ten Conference. In total, all 18 member schools will field women's teams, while 15 schools will have men's teams competing.

The inclusion of these new teams has intensified competition within the conference. Notably, Washington's women's team is ranked second nationally, with Oregon positioned at seventeenth. Michigan State holds a ranking of twenty-sixth in this category. For the men’s teams, Wisconsin leads as the top-ranked Big Ten team in ninth place nationally, followed by Washington in eighteenth place. Michigan State's men’s team is currently receiving votes but not ranked.

Michigan State's women’s team has been successful in recent years, winning two consecutive Big Ten championships and securing four titles over the last five seasons. Last year saw Makenna Veen and Katie Osika earn first-team All-Big Ten honors with their third and fourth-place finishes respectively.

This season features a younger roster for MSU’s women’s team with returning athletes Eleanor Kendall and newcomers such as Rachel Forsyth making her championship debut.

On the men's side, Michigan State achieved its best finish since 2017 last season by placing third. Andrew Nolan was awarded first-team All-Big Ten recognition for his sixth-place finish alongside Alexander Penski who earned second-team honors.

Both Nolan and Penski return this year to lead an experienced squad bolstered by newcomers Moses Osterink and Michael Hegarty.

Live coverage of the races will be available on the Big Ten Network.