The Michigan Tech cross country teams capped off their fall season at the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championships in Kenosha, WI, with several strong individual performances.
For the men, Matthew Dennis led the Huskies with a 24th-place finish in the 10K race, clocking a time of 31:27.83 at a 5:04 pace, while Ben Ketzenberger followed close behind in 38th place with a 31:50 finish. On the women’s side, A. Li placed 67th overall in the 6K race with a time of 22:48.56, and Ingrid Halverson finished 77th in 22:58.79, helping the women’s team secure 17th place overall.
Heading into regionals, the Huskies focused on sharpening both their physical and mental preparation. “We train really hard all year-round to prepare for championship races,” Halverson said. “Stretching, sleeping, and crushing our protein and carbs are essential pieces of the puzzle. We also do weekly mental training to prepare ourselves to keep pushing forward when we’re deep in the pain well.”
Halverson noted that the team entered the race with clear goals for improvement. “Any improvement from last year’s performance on either the Women’s or Men’s team would be a great success,” she said. “The Women’s team is aiming to be top 10 in the region, but a stretch goal for us would be around 6th or 7th.”
Despite battling injuries and illness, the Huskies remained focused and driven. “We’ve tapered our training a bit leading up to this weekend so that we can be feeling fresh and full of energy,” Halverson said. “We like to say that we’re going to ‘meet the wizard,’ meaning we’re going to run so hard and go so deep into the pain cave that we start to hallucinate things—or in this case, ‘the wizard.’ Being able to come together as a team makes it much easier to meet the wizard.”
Both teams closed the season with grit and determination, setting the stage for continued growth and stronger performances in the seasons ahead.
