FERRIS HOSTS MICHIGAN INTERCOLLEGIATE CHAMPIONSHIPS FRIDAY

Annual Cross Country Event To Take Place At Katke Golf Course In Big Rapids

Ferris State will host the Michigan Intercollegiate Cross Country Championships This Friday

The annual event, which rotates to a different host institution each year, typically includes student-athletes from both men's and women's programs at nearly every college and university across the state. In the past, schools from the NCAA Divsion I, II and III levels along with NAIA and junior college squads have taken part in the event.

The course opens at 2 p.m. (EDT) with the women's 4,000-meter race slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. (EDT) followed by the men's 4,000 meters at 4 p.m. (EDT). The women's 6,000 meters is scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. (EDT) start proceeded by the men's 8,000-meter race at 5 p.m. (EDT). The final race of the day, which is a combined open race for individual women's 5K and men's 8K runners, kicks off at 5:45 p.m. (EDT). An awards ceremony near the Katke Golf Course Clubhouse wraps up the event at 6:30 p.m. (EDT).

The event is open to the public and admission is free of charge. Spectator parking is available adjacent to the course near the Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center.

Katke Golf Course, a university-owned 18-hole golf course situated on the western flank of the Ferris State campus, serves as the host site of all home 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.

The course, which opened in 1974, recently played host to the 2003 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships along with last year's (2005) NCAA-II Great Lakes Regional Championships. This Friday's event marks the final time the Bulldogs will compete at home this campaign.

The Ferris State women's and men's cross country teams placed seventh and eighth overall, respectively, in the collegiate maroon divisions during their most recent action (Sept. 30) at the 32nd annual Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invitational held on Montrose Avenue Beach in Chicago, Ill.

Click Here For Michigan Intercollegiate Championships Information PDF

Click Here For More Information On The Meet

Click Here For Katke Golf Course Information