Cross country teams run at Great Lakes Regional

It was a bittersweet weekend for the University of Toledo cross country teams.

The UT Women continued winning, placing third at the Great Lakes Regional and upsetting both Michigan and Ohio State to earn one of 13 at-large bids to the NCAA Championships.

The Rockets’ men, however, finished the Regional with a 25th-place showing. Senior Jake Kasperski paced the team with a time of 32:19.

“I wouldn’t say the season was a disappointment,” Kasperski said. “The results may not indicate it, but we’re taking a step forward.

“This was the first Regional a lot of our guys ran in. In a few years, we think the young guys will really have the program in a good position.”

The Rockets’ women’s third-place finish tied the program best for a regional meet. Toledo managed to maneuver past the nationally ranked Wolverines and Buckeyes in the final 2,000 meters to set themselves up for the finish and claim their bid for the NCAA Championships.

For the women, there was a quite a bit on the line, as only the top two finishers at the Great Lakes Regional earned an automatic bid.

“Cross country is the hardest sport to qualify for Nationals when it comes to the percentage of teams that make it,” said UT head coach Linh Nguyen.

The Rockets are well aware of the percentages, as last year they were on the outside looking in.

“Last year we missed out,” said senior runner Megan Gaysunas, who finished with a 61st-place time of 21:26. “We were motivated to make it this year.”

Senior Brooke Tullis paced Toledo with a time of 20:31, finishing 17th. Injured senior Mackenzie Chojnacky finished soon after, with a time of 21:35.

The Rockets finished behind top-ranked Michigan State and No. 6 Wisconsin. Toledo finished ahead of the aforementioned Wolverines and Buckeyes, as well as Notre Dame and Indiana University.

“Any team that can beat Indiana, Notre Dame, Michigan and Ohio State in the same weekend is making pretty good news,” Linh said. “To be able to go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the Big Ten and the country, that’s not something you’ll get everyday.”

The stage is certainly getting bigger for the Rockets, but not too big to handle, according to the runners.

“At some of the meets people are like, ‘Toledo, where’s that?'” Gaysunas said. “We’re starting to establish ourselves as one of the nation’s best.”

The Rockets did what they’ve been doing all season to earn their third-place finish.

“We didn’t use any special formula,” Linh said. “We just have a group of talented, hardworking girls. They’ve been focused and dedicated all season long.”

In a sport with many individual accolades, the Rockets choose to focus on staying together as a team.

“We have a strong team atmosphere,” Gaysunas said. “We’re really competitive, but at the same time we stay close.”

“We feel like we have a great opportunity, better than we did last year.”

The Rockets have stuck to what they know and it’s gotten them this far. Now they’re right where they want to be.

“If we run similar to how we did on Friday, we’ll likely see a good result,” Linh said.

The NCAA Championships begin Saturday, Nov.22, in Terre Haute, Ind.