Spartan Males’s Cross Country Finishes Second in Big Ten Championships Friday

EAST LANSING, Mich. – With their finest end since 2016, the Michigan State males’s cross nation workforce had been runners-up on the 2025 Big Ten Cross Country Championship Friday at Forest Akers East Golf Course in East Lansing.

This was the fifth total time that the boys have hosted and the fourth that the ladies have. MSU has hosted the championship in 1970, 1981, 1993, 2003, 2012. The Spartan girls gained at dwelling in 1981, whereas the boys had been victorious in 1970.

“I just want to say that I have so much gratitude and am so thankful to our Michigan State staff, the Marshes, Playmakers and the Lansing Sports Commission for all the work they put into this championship day to make it super special and to put on a fantastic product. When you think of community coming together to put on an event that represents excellence, I think we did a phenomenal job,” Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Lisa Breznau mentioned. “From a team standpoint, our men are having an historical season. Coach (Aaron) Simoneau has done a phenomenal job with his leadership with that group. Can’t say enough about Riley Hough trying to win the individual title and Thomas (Wesphal) finishing third. It was an absolutely great day for the men.”

The MSU males took to the stage first in a good race for the person title. With a robust remaining kick, Oregon’s Abdel Laadjel took the person title with a time of 23:11.6. The Spartans’ Riley Hough was the runner-up with a time of 23:18.5, which was simply shy of his profession finest on the Gans Creek Classic earlier this season (22:50.8). Hough’s second-place end was the best since Clark Ruiz was second in  2017. Thomas Westphal completed third with a personal-best time of 23:25.8. Hough and Westphal each earned first-team honors, whereas Westphal additionally was named to the All-Freshman workforce.

Michael Hegarty earned second-team All-Big Ten honors by ending sixteenth with a personal-best time of 23:49.1.  Jack Pennewell (24:00.6) and Parker Lambers (24:01.6), crossed the in twenty fourth and twenty fifth, respectively. 

“I thought it was a huge performance. We didn’t have a perfect day, but some guys really stepped up and made a big difference,” MSU head cross nation coach Aaron Simoneau mentioned. “Getting second in a meet this competitive is huge for this group and the program. It was a great run by Riley. He handled himself with great poise. We hope the guys walk away from this re-affirming what we thought they were and get ready for a 10k in two weeks.”

The Spartan girls took fifth with 147 factors. Oregon girls additionally captured the title with 18 factors. For the second-straight season Rachel Forsyth earned first-team All-Big Ten honors, crossing the road in 19:57.6, which was good for sixth place. Paige Marchant was thirty first with a season-best time of 20:48.8. Olivia Millen was the third MSU in 20:51.6, which was good for thirty third, whereas Kate Stewart-Barnett was thirty seventh (20:53.2). The remaining Spartan within the prime 5 was Taylor Pangburn, ending fortieth with a time of 20:55.1. 

“Our women thought we could be fourth-sixth, so to hold steady at fifth and have a very tight head-to-head battle with the University of Wisconsin and to keep their composure, I think they did a fantastic job,” Breznau mentioned.”We have been training for championship season all season, so I truly think the best is yet to come for both teams.”

2025 Men’s Cross Country All-Big Ten Honors

First Team 

Abdel Laadjel, Oregon 

Riley Hough, Michigan State 

Thomas Westphal, Michigan State 

Evan Bishop, Oregon 

Jamar Distel, Washington 

Aiden Smith, Oregon 

Douglas Buckeridge, Purdue 

Christian de Vaal, Wisconsin 

Matan Ivri, Wisconsin 

Liam Newhart, Wisconsin 

  

Second Team  

Nathan Lopez, Michigan 

Benjamin Balazs, Oregon 

Connor Burns, Oregon 

Trent McFarland, Michigan 

Luke Venhuizen, Michigan  

Michael Hegarty, Michigan State 

Simeon Birnbaum, Oregon 

Nathan Walker, Purdue 

Tayson Echohawk, Oregon 

Jack Meier, Oregon 

  

All-Freshman Team  

Thomas Westphal, Michigan State 

Jack Meier, Oregon 

Andreas Dybdahl, UCLA 

Everett Capelle, UCLA 

Aloysius Franzen, Minnesota 

2025 Women’s Cross Country All-Big Ten Honors 

First Team 

Diana Cherotich, Oregon 

Juliet Cherubet, Oregon 

Silan Ayyildiz, Oregon 

Florence Caron, Penn State 

Dalia Frias, Oregon 

Rachel Forsyth, Michigan State 

Mia Barnett, Oregon 

Charlotte Costich, Penn State 

Anika Thompson, Oregon 

Rose Coats, Maryland 

  

Second Team 

Chloe Foerster, Washington 

Ada Rand, Penn State 

Ava Earl, Northwestern 

Ava Critini, Northwestern 

Maeve Stiles, Washington 

Berlyn Shutz, Nebraska 

Maddy Whitman, Northwestern 

Ali Bainbridge, Nebraska 

Abby DeVeau, Washington 

Aniya Mosley, Ohio State 

  

All-Freshman Team 

Diana Cherotich, Oregon 

Abby DeVeau, Washington 

Sara Mlodik, Wisconsin 

Ava Jarrell, Indiana 

Alexandra Joyce, Nebraska