The Aquinas men’s and women’s cross country teams are back in action this Saturday when they host the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge. The 13th annual meet will take place at Riverside Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The men’s maroon race will feature 19 out of 27 total teams that are ranked or receiving votes while the women will have 14 ranked/receiving votes teams out of 26 total in the maroon race.
HOW TO FOLLOW LIVE RESULTS AND SPLITS
Schedule of Events
10:00 am Maroon Division – Men 11:00 am Maroon Division – Women 11:45pm White Division – Men 12:00pm Awards Available – Maroon Races 12:45pm White Division – Women 1:30pm Awards Available – White Races
Meet Information | Live Video (weather pending) | Live Results
- Mens 8K Maroon
- Womens 5K Maroon
- Mens 8K White
- Womens 5K White
- Mens 8K Maroon w/Splits
- Womens 5K Maroon w/Splits
- Mens 8K White w/Splits
- Womens 5K White w/Splits
MEN’S 2021 NAIA Great Lakes Challenge
The No. 23 Saints will face many top NAIA competitors this weekend in a race that could have national implications. The field contains No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan, No. 2 Saint Mary, No. 3 Saint Francis (Ill.), No. 5 Taylor, No. 10 Cornerstone, No. 11 Huntington, No. 15 Olivet Nazarene, No. 18 Shawnee State, No. 20 UM-Dearborn, No. 22 Grace, and No. 25 Grand View. Teams that are receiving votes are Marian, Goshen, St. Ambrose, William Carey, Campbellsville, Rocky Mountain, and William Woods.
The Saints have taken first out of 10 teams and 11th out of 62 teams in their last two meets when having their whole squad competing. AQ looks to move back up in the rankings with a solid performance this weekend.
This race serves as a preview for both the conference and national meets. Representing the WHAC along with Aquinas is Cornerstone, UM-Dearborn, and Indiana Tech that will be racing in the maroon division, while Madonna, Concordia, Lourdes, Siena Heights and Cleary will race in the White Division.
WOMEN’S 2021 NAIA Great Lakes Challenge
Like the men, the Aquinas women will face many top NAIA teams that will affect the national standings. Along with the No. 7 Saints is No. 1 Saint Francis (Ill.), No. 3 Cornerstone, No. 4 Taylor, No. 5 Saint Mary, No. 13 Olivet Nazarene, No. 15 Indiana Wesleyan, No. 17 Saint Francis (Ind.), and No. 19 Huntington. Teams that are receiving votes include Grace, Marian, Missouri Baptist, Cumberlands, and William Carey.
In the last two races when the women were at full strength, they had impressive showings at the Live in Louisville Cross Country Classic and The Knight Raider Invite. On September 18, the Saints dominated the Knight-Raider Invite when their top-five finished in the top-10. Then at the Live in Louisville Classic, Aquinas took fifth out of 55. With a great performance, the Saints can move back into the top five.
The WHAC is well represented in the maroon race as Cornerstone, UM-Dearborn, and Madonna join Aquinas. In the white race is Concordia, Lourdes, Cleary, Lawrence Tech, and Sienna Heights.
The men’s maroon race is the first event to go off on Saturday, October 23. The top 10 Saints go off at 10:00 AM with the rest of the men going off at 11:45 AM. The first women’s race goes off at 11:00 AM, with the second going off at 12:45 PM. Awards for the maroon races are at 12:00 PM and the white races awards happen at 1:30 PM.
