Friday, November 15
Madison, WI
12:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. CT
Ball State University
at
NCAA Great Lakes Regional
Photo by: Kyle Crawford
By The Numbers: Cross Country at NCAA Great Lakes Regional
November 14, 2019 | Cross Country
MUNCIE, Ind. - - Coming off the program's best finish at the Mid-American Conference Championships in over a decade, Ball State cross country has its sights set on another big performance Friday at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional.
Â
The women's 6K race, which features all of the top teams from the Great Lakes region, will start at 12:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. CT on the 11-year-old Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison, Wisconsin, which was also the site of the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Â
Fans unable to attend Friday's meet can follow the action with live results (http://pttiming.com/events/87931614) and live video courtesy of FloTrack (http://bit.ly/31n7QaA).
Â
Below is a breakdown of what to expect Friday by the numbers:
33 -- A total of 33 teams have runners entered in Friday's NCAA Great Lakes Regional, including eight fellow Mid-American Conference schools; Akron, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami, Ohio, Toledo and Western Michigan
Â
15 -- With each of the top 15 teams in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Great Lakes Region Poll (released on Nov. 4) on hand, Friday's race will be the most competitive the Cardinals have competed in this season … Michigan State enters as the slight meet favorite, ranked sixth in the latest USTFCCCA National Poll, followed by Wisconsin in seventh … Other regional foes ranked nationally including Michigan (11th), Notre Dame (16th), Ohio State (20th) and Butler (24th).
Â
13 -- The Cardinals enter Friday's meet ranked 13th in the Great Lakes Region in the latest USTFCCCA poll … Ball State entered the rankings at No. 14 on Sept. 16, and maintained the spot in both the Sept. 23 and Sept. 30 polls … After briefly falling to 15th in the Oct. 7 poll, the Cardinals jumped two spots to 13th after winning the Cardinal Classic (Oct. 18) and held steady after placing sixth at the MAC Championships (Nov. 2).
Â
7 (Part 1) -- The Cardinals will send seven runners to the NCAA Great Lakes Regional: Hannah Cummings, Cayla Eckenroth, Meghan Hedrick, Peyton Kneadler, Maritza Rodriguez, Juliana Stogsdill and Vivian Van Eck.
Â
6 -- Last time out, the Ball State cross country team placed sixth among the 12 teams at the 2019 Mid-American Conference Championships … It was the program's best league championship finish since earning fifth in 2007 … In addition, Ball State's five scored runners all scored within the top 48 … A year ago, the Cardinals' top runner scored in 56th.
Â
7 (Part 2) -- Ball State turned in the seventh-best single-year improvement all-time at the MAC Championships, climbing five spots from 11th to sixth overall … The biggest jump ever was eight spots by BGSU who went from 10th in 2005 to second in 2006 … Two teams have climbed seven spots, including Ball State moving from ninth in 1999 to second in 2000 … Three teams have made a six-position climb, while a five-place jump has happened nine times.
Â
11 -- Two weeks after picking up her first collegiate race victory at the Cardinal Classic (Oct. 18), junior Cayla Eckenroth proved she has what it takes to complete with the MAC's elite runners by clocking in at 22:19.1 on the 6K MAC Championship course to take 11th overall among the 101-runner field … Eckenroth's 11th-place effort, which earned her second team All-MAC honors, was the best for a Ball State runner at the MAC Championships since then-junior Ali Bishel placed fourth in 2009.
Â
2007 -- The last time Ball State finished in the top 13 as a team at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional was in 2007 … That year, the Cardinals finished ninth overall and sent then-sophomore Ali Bishel to the NCAA Championships after she placed seventh in 21:00.
Â
21:36.2 -- Junior Cayla Eckenroth crossed the finish line in a career-fast 21:36.2 at the Cardinals Classic (Oct. 18), shaving nearly a minute off her previous collegiate-best 6K time of 22:35.3 for Ball State's best time at the distance so far this season … In fact, it was Ball State's fastest 6K run since a 21:04.07 clocked by Ali Bishel on Nov. 23, 2009 at the NCAA Championships.
Â
22:00.0 -- Entering the Cardinal Classic (Oct. 18), Ball State had not had a cross country runner break the 22-minute barrier in a 6K race since Ali Bishel clocked in at 21:47.59 on Nov. 14, 2010 at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional … In just the third 6K race held at the Muncie Elks Country Club, three Ball State runners took advantage of the great weather and speedy course to undercut the mark; junior Cayla Eckenroth (21:36.2), freshman Vivian Van Eck (21:44.0) and senior Maritza Rodriguez (21:50.2).
Â
17:33.0 -- Senior Maritza Rodriguez owns Ball State's fastest 5K time this season, clocking in at a career-fast 17:33.0 to place 16th at the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic (Oct. 5) … It was the fastest 5K time for a Ball State cross country runner since Ali Bishel won the Women's Big State Race at the Indiana Intercollegiate with a time of 17:28.28 on Sept. 18, 2009.
Â
29 -- Ball State's runners have set 29 career-best marks so far this season, with five coming at the season-opening 5K Butler Twilight (Aug. 30), four coming at the 5K IWU Twilight Classic (Sept. 6), six coming at the 6K Spartan Invitational (Sept. 13), six coming at the 5K Live in Lou Cross Country Classic (Oct. 5) and eight coming at the 6K Cardinal Classic (Oct. 18).
Â
37 -- The expected weather in Madison, Wisconsin, for the 2019 NCAA Great Lakes Regional is 37 degrees and partly cloudy at race time. Winds are expected to be light, coming out of the northwest at five miles per hour.Â
Â
The women's 6K race, which features all of the top teams from the Great Lakes region, will start at 12:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. CT on the 11-year-old Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison, Wisconsin, which was also the site of the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
As we head to Wisconsin for Friday's NCAA Great Lakes Regional ...
— BallStateTrack&XC (@BallStateTFXC) November 14, 2019
... here's a behind-the-scenes look at our last road trip to DeKalb for the #MACtion Championships.
?? by Eliza Vandewalle of @bsusportslink#ChirpChirp #WeFly #Onward #EveryAthleteMatters pic.twitter.com/BNfuaFSDPB
Â
Fans unable to attend Friday's meet can follow the action with live results (http://pttiming.com/events/87931614) and live video courtesy of FloTrack (http://bit.ly/31n7QaA).
Â
Below is a breakdown of what to expect Friday by the numbers:
33 -- A total of 33 teams have runners entered in Friday's NCAA Great Lakes Regional, including eight fellow Mid-American Conference schools; Akron, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami, Ohio, Toledo and Western Michigan
Â
15 -- With each of the top 15 teams in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Great Lakes Region Poll (released on Nov. 4) on hand, Friday's race will be the most competitive the Cardinals have competed in this season … Michigan State enters as the slight meet favorite, ranked sixth in the latest USTFCCCA National Poll, followed by Wisconsin in seventh … Other regional foes ranked nationally including Michigan (11th), Notre Dame (16th), Ohio State (20th) and Butler (24th).
Â
13 -- The Cardinals enter Friday's meet ranked 13th in the Great Lakes Region in the latest USTFCCCA poll … Ball State entered the rankings at No. 14 on Sept. 16, and maintained the spot in both the Sept. 23 and Sept. 30 polls … After briefly falling to 15th in the Oct. 7 poll, the Cardinals jumped two spots to 13th after winning the Cardinal Classic (Oct. 18) and held steady after placing sixth at the MAC Championships (Nov. 2).
Â
7 (Part 1) -- The Cardinals will send seven runners to the NCAA Great Lakes Regional: Hannah Cummings, Cayla Eckenroth, Meghan Hedrick, Peyton Kneadler, Maritza Rodriguez, Juliana Stogsdill and Vivian Van Eck.
Â
It's been a week since our AMAZING run at the #MACtion Championships
— BallStateTrack&XC (@BallStateTFXC) November 9, 2019
Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how we put together our best championship race since 2007
?? by Eliza Vandewalle of @bsusportslink#ChirpChirp #WeFly #Onward #EveryAthleteMatters pic.twitter.com/byJ5rMPTJ3
6 -- Last time out, the Ball State cross country team placed sixth among the 12 teams at the 2019 Mid-American Conference Championships … It was the program's best league championship finish since earning fifth in 2007 … In addition, Ball State's five scored runners all scored within the top 48 … A year ago, the Cardinals' top runner scored in 56th.
Â
Last Saturday, we turned in the 7th-best single-year improvement ALL-TIME at the #MACtion Championships (11th ?? 6th)
— BallStateTrack&XC (@BallStateTFXC) November 8, 2019
A week from today, we enter the NCAA Great Lakes Regional ranked 13th by @USTFCCCA and will be racing for our first Top 13 finish since 2007#ChirpChirp #WeFly pic.twitter.com/IJdOlQVuem
7 (Part 2) -- Ball State turned in the seventh-best single-year improvement all-time at the MAC Championships, climbing five spots from 11th to sixth overall … The biggest jump ever was eight spots by BGSU who went from 10th in 2005 to second in 2006 … Two teams have climbed seven spots, including Ball State moving from ninth in 1999 to second in 2000 … Three teams have made a six-position climb, while a five-place jump has happened nine times.
Â
#MondayMotivation
— BallStateTrack&XC (@BallStateTFXC) November 4, 2019
... @caylaeckenroth racing until the end Saturday to become our first All-MAC selection since 2009
Catch her on the Ron Lahody's Trust Your Butcher Steakhouse Coaches Show TONIGHT??
Show starts at 5p
??: @mssWXFN 102.9 FM/1340 AM
??: https://t.co/pOOYJx8TIK pic.twitter.com/LiLXeKmu1G
11 -- Two weeks after picking up her first collegiate race victory at the Cardinal Classic (Oct. 18), junior Cayla Eckenroth proved she has what it takes to complete with the MAC's elite runners by clocking in at 22:19.1 on the 6K MAC Championship course to take 11th overall among the 101-runner field … Eckenroth's 11th-place effort, which earned her second team All-MAC honors, was the best for a Ball State runner at the MAC Championships since then-junior Ali Bishel placed fourth in 2009.
Â
2007 -- The last time Ball State finished in the top 13 as a team at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional was in 2007 … That year, the Cardinals finished ninth overall and sent then-sophomore Ali Bishel to the NCAA Championships after she placed seventh in 21:00.
Â
21:36.2 -- Junior Cayla Eckenroth crossed the finish line in a career-fast 21:36.2 at the Cardinals Classic (Oct. 18), shaving nearly a minute off her previous collegiate-best 6K time of 22:35.3 for Ball State's best time at the distance so far this season … In fact, it was Ball State's fastest 6K run since a 21:04.07 clocked by Ali Bishel on Nov. 23, 2009 at the NCAA Championships.
Â
22:00.0 -- Entering the Cardinal Classic (Oct. 18), Ball State had not had a cross country runner break the 22-minute barrier in a 6K race since Ali Bishel clocked in at 21:47.59 on Nov. 14, 2010 at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional … In just the third 6K race held at the Muncie Elks Country Club, three Ball State runners took advantage of the great weather and speedy course to undercut the mark; junior Cayla Eckenroth (21:36.2), freshman Vivian Van Eck (21:44.0) and senior Maritza Rodriguez (21:50.2).
Â
17:33.0 -- Senior Maritza Rodriguez owns Ball State's fastest 5K time this season, clocking in at a career-fast 17:33.0 to place 16th at the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic (Oct. 5) … It was the fastest 5K time for a Ball State cross country runner since Ali Bishel won the Women's Big State Race at the Indiana Intercollegiate with a time of 17:28.28 on Sept. 18, 2009.
Â
29 -- Ball State's runners have set 29 career-best marks so far this season, with five coming at the season-opening 5K Butler Twilight (Aug. 30), four coming at the 5K IWU Twilight Classic (Sept. 6), six coming at the 6K Spartan Invitational (Sept. 13), six coming at the 5K Live in Lou Cross Country Classic (Oct. 5) and eight coming at the 6K Cardinal Classic (Oct. 18).
Â
37 -- The expected weather in Madison, Wisconsin, for the 2019 NCAA Great Lakes Regional is 37 degrees and partly cloudy at race time. Winds are expected to be light, coming out of the northwest at five miles per hour.Â
Players Mentioned
XC
/ Cross Country
XC
/ Cross Country
XC
/ Cross Country
XC
/ Cross Country
XC
/ Cross Country
XC
/ Cross Country
XC
/ Cross CountryBall State Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell discusses the NCAA vs. House Settlement
Tuesday, July 01
Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell discusses NCAA vs. House Settlement & Bill Richards Thank You
Friday, June 27
Heart of the Cardinal Podcast // Kenli Nettles Track and Field Journey
Sunday, June 08
Heart of the Cardinal Podcast // Guest: Track & Field's Kenli Nettles
Sunday, June 08