Oct. 3, 2013

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State men’s cross country team looks to sustain its early season momentum Friday at the 8k Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Ind.

Undefeated two meets into the season, the Buckeyes step up the competition level a notch at Notre Dame’s Burke Golf Course, facing eight ranked opponents in the Blue Division race at 5:00 p.m. ET Friday afternoon. A complete recap will be available after the race at www.OhioStateBuckeyes.com.

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Notable Competing Teams
No. 7 Tulsa
No. 9 Princeton
No. 16 Colorado State
No. 21 New Mexico
No. 22 Notre Dame
No. 24 Virginia
No. 26 Florida State
No. 30 Columbia

Buckeyes Ranked Sixth in USTFCCCA Great Lakes Region
The U.S. Track and Field & Cross Country Coaches Association released its regional cross country rankings Sept. 30, with Ohio State ranked sixth overall in the Great Lakes region. No. 15 Indiana is the top team in the region, followed by No. 19 Wisconsin, No. 22 Notre Dame, No. 29 Michigan, Michigan State and the Buckeyes.

Visit www.ustfccca.org for the complete regional rankings as well as the national Top 25 poll.

Last Time Out
Ohio State five runners in the Top 10 on its way to an easy first-place finish at the 8k Big Ten Preview Sept. 13 at the Purdue Cross Country Course in West Lafayette, Ind.

Ohio State totaled a team score of 28 to defeat host Purdue by 21 points.  Michigan was third with a team score of 69, followed by Illinois with 76.

Sophomore Jordan Redd was the top Buckeye finisher for the second meet in a row, crossing the finish line in an 8k personal-best time of 24:50.9 for second-place finish overall.  Redshirt sophomore Brian Hannaford was third overall in a PR of 24:53.8, followed sophomore Nick Pupino (fourth, PR of 24:55.2) and redshirt sophomores Curtis Hanle (seventh, 25:10.6) and Blake Taneff (10th, 25:15.4).

Up Next
The Buckeyes have a week off prior to competing at the Indiana State Pre-National Invitational Oct. 19 in Terre Haute, Ind.