Over the weekend, the Penn State women's cross country team was supposed to follow the age-old script of losing to teams with higher rankings and winning traditions at Saturday's Big Ten Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.
Before the competition even began, the Nittany Lions were considered underdogs behind such teams as No. 18 Indiana, No. 24 Michigan and No. 23 Michigan State.
However, without the pressure that can dog higher ranked teams, and with the motivating words of their head coach, Beth Alford-Sullivan, the Lions placed fourth out of eleven teams, defeating the No. 9 Wisconsin Badgers in the process, winners of 13 of the previous 21 championships.
"This was a huge step forward for us today," Alford-Sullivan said.
"We are moving up the ladder of competitive teams, and just had an unbelievable team presence. It was a huge milestone for us to beat Wisconsin."
Michigan claimed its first team title since 1994, with a total of 70 points.The defending champion Spartans finished just three points back, making it the smallest margin of victory in the history of the Big Ten Championships. Rounding out the top five were Indiana in third with 81 points, the Lions in fourth with 94 points and the Badgers in fifth with 107 points.
In the individual 5K race, Michigan State junior Michelle Carson claimed the title with a time of 17:24.0. Fellow junior Jamie Kryzminski placed second with a 17:34.8.
Junior Darja Vasiljeva of Minnesota placed third with a 17:39.0, while junior Hilary Edmondson of Wisconsin placed fourth with a 17:40.8. Rebecca Walter, a freshman from Michigan, rounded out the top five with a time of 17:47.8.
For the Lions, freshman Tracey Brauksieck once again led the scoring with her 10th-place finish, just 27 seconds behind Carson. Three other Lions placed in the top 20 out of 92 runners, with junior Katy Hillard in 13th and sophomores Molly Landreth and Michelle Wale in 18th and 19th, respectively.
"Tracey ran just great for her first ever Big Ten championship," Alford-Sullivan said.
"She put herself right into the middle of the race from the get-go, and really competed tough."
As a result of their finish, Brauksieck and Hillard both earned second-team All-Big Ten honors.
Overall, the Lions remain proud of their accomplishments in the meet, and look forward to the National Collegiate Athletics Association Mid-Atlantic Regional competition on Nov. 16.
