BLOG 2: Strategic Bulldogs get good workout at GLIAC Preview Meet

By Sandy Gholston

Ferris State’s Mikinzie Stuart and her teammates took part in the GLIAC Preview Meet last week (Photo/FSU Photographic Services)

BIG RAPIDS – Learning the ropes under first-year interim cross country coach Steve Picucci, the Ferris State University cross country teams got an opportunity to compete for the first time this fall with a trip to the eastern Upper Peninsula in a meet hosted by Lake Superior State University.

The non-scoring event was hosted at Sault Ste. Marie’s Tanglewood Marsh Golf Course – the site of this fall’s Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships (Oct. 25). The meet included runners from Ferris, Lake Superior, Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan – all teams eager to test the racing conditions that could preview the all-important meet later this season at Tanglewood. But, by that time, who knows what the weather will be like in Michigan.

Ferris worked on strategy aspects of running, while also familiarizing the runners with the unique aspects of this particular course for later, as Picucci got his first opportunity to see how preseason training impacted his runners’ performances.

In women’s competition, sophomore Tina Muir had a strong and aggressive running performance as she placed second with a time of 22:43.56 – six seconds in back of Lake Superior’s Katie Scott, who won the 6K event.

Senior runner Mikinzie Stuart also turned in a solid effort as she finished fourth overall in 23:24.10 while teammate Jackie Green gave the Bulldogs a third top-10 finisher as she clocked a 10th-place time of 23:57.

In the men’s 8K race, senior Curtis Begley earned a 10th-place finish at 27:31.97. Mike Mangieri, also a senior for the Bulldogs, was 15th at 27:43.41 and sophomore Alex Best cracked the top 20 with a 19th-place finish at 28:08.06.

If you have any questions, ideas or comments feel free to contact Sandy Gholston at sgholston2@netzero.com