In 2010, Leah O’Connor, Sara Kroll, and Julia Otwell were freshman cross country runners at Michigan State University. The Spartans were 5th at the Big Ten Championships the previous year. They placed three runners in the top 24 and were 15 points behind Michigan (137-122), historically the better team of the two. Things were looking good for the green and white. When the #1 Spartans took the conference championship from #4 Michigan that fall, an interstate rival with the Wolverines was cemented. 

Since 2010, MSU leads Michigan 3-1:
2010: MSU 74, MICH 88
2011: MSU 55, MICH 61 
2012: MICH 55, MSU 75 
2013: MSU 43, MICH 55

The Women’s Big Ten Cross Country Championships, to be held in Iowa City on November 2nd, 2014, will be the most exciting conference matchup between two of the nation’s top ranked womens' squads. While there will be other individuals mixing it up with the two mitten state teams, notably #21 Sarah Disanza of Wisconsin and #25 Katie Borchers of Ohio State, there will be an overabundance of green/white and maize/blue uniforms crossing the finish line in dominating fashion.
Let’s take a look at the case for both squads.

The Case for Michigan State
Through the 2010-2013 conference races, Michigan State has had four different number one runners for their team and two individual title winners (Emily MacLeod in 2010 and Sara Kroll in 2012). But one runner stands out the most. #12 Leah O’Connor, the 2014 NCAA Steeplechase champion, has steadily improved her Big Ten performances every season. 27th in her freshman year (2011), to fourth in 2012, to a runner-up showing in 2013. Consistency is key, and she’s quite the reliable teammate. She’s a tough competitor and her dependability as a teammate is evident in her 2014 performances thus far:
Bill Dellinger Invitational: 2nd, 19:53
Spartan Invitational: 1st, 21:03
Roy Griak Invitational: 9th, 21:30
Wisconsin adidas Invitational: 9th, 19:56

The duo of O’Connor and RS Sophomore #4 Rachele Schulist, a sure star on the rise, gives the Spartans the 1-2 edge in the Big Ten, and the national level. Schulist emerged on the scene last season and finished 12th at the conference meet. She will be a top five finisher in Iowa City this weekend.

New to the Saucony Flo50 is #19 Lindsay Clark. Clark has been the steady number three for the Spartans all season and was 9th at this race in 2013. The Spartans have an interchangeable group of ladies to round out their top five. Famous for her 2012 Big Ten individual title is Sara Kroll, who redshirted the 2013 season. Together with Julia Otwell, Ali Wiersma, and Katie Landwehr (5th in 2013), these ladies know how to get it done, as evidenced in their Wisconsin and Griak wins.

The Case for Michigan
The Wolverines had a five-year stint as Big Ten Champions 2002-2006. The “Golden Years” of Michigan distance running included stars like 2012 Olympians Geena Gall (800m - USA), Nicole Edwards (1500 - Canada), and multiple-time All Americans Katie Erdman, Lindsey Gallo, and Rebecca Walter. Years of top five finishes and rebuilding the program culminated in the Wolverines 2012 Big Ten title. The 20 points separating Michigan and MSU marks the biggest point difference in the four years that these teams have gone head-to-head. What’s even sweeter, the Wolverines did it on the Forest Akers Golf Course in East Lansing, Michigan, home of the Spartans.

#6 Erin Finn is hoping to bring that magic back to Ann Arbor this fall. As a freshman in 2013, Finn was a four-time Big Ten Champ (XC, Indoor 5k, outdoor 5k, 10k). She beat O’Connor by 8 seconds in West Lafayette, Ind., to give the Wolverines their first individual champ since Erin Webster in 2006. Her maturity in 2014 is showing, as she recently finished fourth at the Pre-Nationals race, 12 spots better than her 16th place as a freshman.

The Wolverines supporting cast has been quieter than the Spartans this fall, but take Shannon Osika, for example. A steady number two for the Wolverines this fall, Osika has been plagued with injuries during her career in Ann Arbor. In 2013, she took home the title at the Michigan Open 5k before sitting out the rest of the season until the Big Ten Championships. Having not raced since last August, Osika finished a clutch 11th place at the conference championships, one place behind teammate Megan Weschler. That kind of performance shows how resilient Osika is. She went on to place 6th at the Great Lakes Regional and 56th at the NCAA Championships, leading Michigan to their 4th place podium finish. Brook Handler has been on Osika’s heels this fall. She was right behind Osika in Iowa, Boston, and Pre-Nats this fall, and will need to latch on if the Wolverines wish to dethrone MSU. Weschler, Taylor Mannett (14th in 2013), Anna Pasternak and Taylor Pogue make up the rest of the Wolverine pack that will challenge the Spartans on Sunday.

Ferlic vs. McClintock vs. Rhynard vs. Wisconsin

While the women’s race has two clear team favorites, the 2014 men’s race will be a three-time battle, similar to 2013. #19 Indiana (51 pts in 2013), #13 Michigan (66), and #9 Wisconsin (71) will see who has the best team in Iowa City, and honestly any of these three teams could pull off the victory.

Indiana managed to pull off the upset over Wisconsin in 2013 by placing four runners in the top 10, lead by then-Freshman Jason Crist placing fifth. Carl Smith, 8th in 2013, has not competed this fall, but they return Rorey Hunter (7th), Matthew Schwarzer (10th), and Evan Esselink (21st). Despite returning to almost full strength, the Hoosiers have disappointed one race after another this fall. What happened to this squad? 14th at Wisconsin and 8th place at the Washington Invite don’t exactly peg them as team favorites. We’ll need to see a completely improved Hoosier squad if they want another team title in Iowa City.

The Michigan Wolverines seem to have the right pieces, as evidenced in their 2014 Notre Dame Invite win. #16 Mason Ferlic has taken home three Big Ten Athlete of the Week awards this fall and is arguably the best distance athlete in the conference. Ben Flanagan is the Wolverines next best returner (12th) from 2013, but Tony Smoragiewicz is having a break out year for Michigan. After his much anticipated arrival in 2012, Smoragiewicz has been back-and-forth with running well and competing in triathlon. Whatever the case, fall of 2014 has been his most consistent season yet, which is perfect for the Wolverines. He was 43rd at Wisconsin and 15th at Notre Dame, and should be a top 10 competitor in Iowa.

The Wisconsin Badgers won 14 straight Big Ten Championships before 2013, despite Malachy Schrobilgen taking home the individual title. #24 Michael Vanvoorhis (13th in 2013) and Schrobilgen will be in the front pack on Sunday, but Wisconsin’s next runners make this race a tricky prediction. Joe Hardy and Morgan McDonald are true freshman who placed 37th and 42nd at their home Wisconsin Invite. Impressive for their Badger debut, and the Big Ten race has about 150 less athletes. With one (huge and successful) race under their belt, Hardy and McDonald will have more confidence to pack up with Schrobilgen and Vanvoorhis in Iowa.

So who will take the individual championship? Purdue’s #19 Matt McClintock finished 6th in the Pac-12 heavy Pre-Nats race and is looking for a Big Ten title. He finished second to Schrobilgen last year by one second, so look for this Boilermaker to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Michigan State’s Caleb Rhynard was fourth in 2013 and has been a consistent top 20 finisher in big meets this fall. These two, along with Ferlic, will be the individuals that put a threat to Wisconsin’s attempt at taking back the throne.