Oct. 27, 2005

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University Athletics Department will host the 2005 NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships Saturday, Nov. 5, at FSU's Katke Golf Course in Big Rapids, Mich.

Regional web site

The 25th annual women's postseason event and 47th annual men's championships will feature approximately 260 student-athletes and kick off with the women's 6,000-meter (6K) race at 11 a.m. (EST). The men's 10,000-meter (10K) event will follow at 12 p.m. (EST) with the post-race awards ceremony set to begin around 1:30 p.m. (EST). Admission to the event is free of charge and open to the public. Parking is available and located on the property.

"We're excited to host the regional championships at Ferris," said 10th-year FSU head coach Jeff Kavalunas. "We've got a great course for both the student-athletes to run on and for spectators watching the event. It's a tremendous opportunity for us to showcase our facilities and the community."

The regional field will include 23 men's teams and 24 women's squads from the Great Lakes Region, which encompasses all schools located in both the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). The top four team finishers in both the men's and women's divisions as well as the top two individuals not associated with one of the four squads will automatically qualify for the 2005 NCAA-II Championships set for Saturday, Nov. 19, in Pomona, Calif. Seven runners will compete per team in the scoring race with the top seven overall finishers attaining first-team all-region recognition.

"It will be nice for our student-athletes to run on their home course and hopefully it will give us a home-course advantage," Kavalunas said. "While it's a lot of work to put on an event of this magnitude, it also provides us with an opportunity to enhance our sport locally and will be a big boost for our athletes competing."

Katke Golf Course, a university-owned 18-hole golf course situated on the western flank of the Ferris State campus, serves as the home site for all Bulldog cross country along with men's and women's golf events. The course is named after Mr. and Mrs. Marvin L. Katke, whose generous donation influenced campus development and the initial phase of the golf course. Katke, a friend of Ferris and a Mecosta County native, was vice president for manufacturing of the Ford Motor Company and a 1967 recipient of an honorary degree from FSU.

Katke, which opened in 1974, recently played host to the 2003 GLIAC Cross Country Championships and also the 2004 NCAA Division II East Regional Women's Golf Championships. Both the men's and women's races will start and finish on Katke's 18th hole near the clubhouse.

Last season (2004), Grand Valley State captured both the men's and women's crowns at the NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Championships (Nov. 6), which were hosted by Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at Edwardsville, Ill. The Bulldog women placed fifth while the men were 18th in 2004.

Among the teams to watch in the women's division are GVSU and Northern Michigan, which are ranked second and third, respectively, in the latest (Oct. 24) NCAA Division II Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association National Poll. Southern Indiana (6th), Wisconsin-Parkside (12th), host Ferris State (18th) and Hillsdale (20th) are also listed in the women's top 25 while the current men's national rankings include regional members GVSU (5th), Wayne State (7th), Southern Indiana (9th), Saginaw Valley State (16th), Lewis (19th) and Hillsdale (22nd).

The women's race will include Grand Valley State's Mandi Zemba, who won the individual title in the 2005 GLIAC Championships held last Saturday (Oct. 22) at the Al Quaal Recreation Area in Ishpeming, Mich. Also running will be Ferris senior Jenny Irwin (Scottville/Mason County Central), who took runner-up honors at the GLIAC Championships, along with Southern Indiana's Heather Cooksey. Cooksey placed first while Bellarmine's (Ky.) Meghan Crowe was second in the GLVC Championships (Oct. 22) held in Rensselaer, Ind. Irwin had won five-straight individual race titles this season prior to the conference event.

In the men's field, GLVC Champion Andy Tremble of Lewis and runner-up Rey Alvarez of Southern Indiana are among the competitors. The GLIAC's individual champion Nate Peck of Grand Valley State and second-place finisher Chris Hammer of GVSU also will be competing in addition to Ferris sophomore Ray Rollet (South Rockwood/Airport), who has been the Bulldogs' top finisher in all six of the squad's outings this campaign.

Grand Valley State won both the men's and women's GLIAC titles this season, Wisconsin-Parkside earned the GLVC women's crown and Southern Indiana was the top men's team in the GLVC.

Ferris State's women, who fell one spot short of qualifing for the national meet a year ago, captured third place while the Bulldog men took ninth overall at the 2005 GLIAC Championships.