Hillsdale, Mich.-Hayden Park in Hillsdale, Michigan is set to host both the Men’s and Women’s 2024 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Cross Country Championship on Saturday morning. 

This year’s championship will feature many regionally and nationally recognized teams by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The event will open with the men’s 8k at 10:30 A.M. ET, followed by the women’s 6k at 11:30 A.M. ET. 

In addition to the top-placing men’s and women’s teams being named the 2024 G-MAC Champion, the top-10 individual male and female finishers will be named First Team All-Conference, followed by the next 10 finishers as Second-Team All-Conference. The winner of each race will be named the G-MAC Runners of the Year, and the top-finishing freshman will receive G-MAC Freshman of the Year honors. 

Men’s 8k Preview:

Walsh returns to the conference championships in hopes of clinching their sixth straight team title in eight years. However, the Cavaliers do not find themselves in the most recent Midwest Region poll, replaced instead by Findlay who is currently fourth. Walsh sits at No. 6 in the region followed by Hillsdale at No. 8. 

Head Coach Eric Wymer and the Oilers have produced very consistent performances this season, led by multiple podium finishes for grad student Noah Fisher. Fisher enters Saturday’s race as the reigning G-MAC Cross Country Champion and 2023 G-MAC Runner of the Year. The Oilers cracked the national rankings at No. 25.

Women’s 6k Preview: 

The defending conference champions, the Cedarville Yellowjackets, enter this race ranked third in the Midwest Region poll and in the top 25 of the National Coach’s Poll.

As the reigning Great Midwest Coach of the Year, Jeff Bolender comes in with high confidence in his Yellowjackets and their experience as a team. Aubrey Harrington (JR) and Abby Drosak (SO) return as previous members of the All-Conference First Team, with Durak also being the G-MAC Freshman of the Year in 2023. 

Cedarville is followed by a trio of G-MAC programs in the regional rankings. Walsh (5th), Hillsdale (6th), and Findlay (7th) are all featured in the latest edition of the Midwest Regional Rankings. 

Following the conclusion of the Great Midwest Cross Country Championships, student-athletes will begin preparation for the NCAA Midwest Regionals on Nov. 9 in Romeoville, Ill. 

More information on the Great Midwest Cross Country Championship can be found on the Championship Central page.