The runners of the Great Lakes Region will find out where all the hours and miles logged on various courses this season has put them. They will find this out as they take part in the culmination of the season, the Great Lakes Regional Championship, tomorrow in West Lafayette, Ind.

On the women’s side, the two schools favored to take the top two spots and secure automatic berths in the NCAA Championships on Nov. 25 are the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and the Badgers of Wisconsin. The schools are ranked fifth and 30th in the nation, respectively.

All American Lauren King and Foot Locker finalist Molly Huddle will lead Notre Dame. This duo finished 1-2 at the Big East meet earlier in the season and will look to do so again this weekend. The Irish also feature Jennifer Handley, who has shown this season that she has the potential to be an All-American, in the no.3 slot. Lori King and Stephanie Nadia round out the top five for the Irish.

The Badgers, who missed a birth in the NCAA Championships for the first time ever last season, have been having a great season other than a rough outing at the Big Ten Championships. The highlights of the Badger’s season thus far has been a second place finish at the Notre Dame Invite and fourth place finish at the pre-NCAA Blue Race. The Badgers top five runners include: Elaine Canchola, Heidi Lane, Liz Reusser, Hilary Edmonson and Jackie Mulrooney. The Badgers will look to shake off the bad day at the Big Tens and get back to the NCAA Championships.

While the Irish and the Badgers may be the favorites going into this weekend’s race, they will have plenty of good competition that will look to upend them and take away their spots in the NCAA race. One of the schools that will look to do so is Big Ten Champion Michigan. The Wolverines also boast a first place finish at the Sundodger Invite, a second place finish at the Indiana State Invite, and a 10th place finish at the pre-NCAA Blue race. The Wolverines are led by Rebecca Walter, Lindsey Gallo, Andrea Parker, Jane Martineau, and Jeanne Spink.

The race will also feature Mid-American Conference Champion Toledo, led by All-American Brianna Shook, who took first place overall in the MAC Race. Big Ten runner-up Michigan State, led by Michelle Carson and Jamie Krzyminski, Indiana, led by Audrey Giesler and Mindy Peterson, and Marquette, led by Jessie and Jackie Swan and Susan Barth, will all look to secure themselves a spot in the NCAA Championships.

Representing BG this weekend will be Amber Culp, Niki Suitor, Melissa Krueger, Sarah Lohrbach, Cyndi Bostdorff, Elise Gould and Nicola Viljoen. Viljoen is questionable for the race due to injury. Head Coach Cami Wells is looking to forget about the disappointing finish at the MAC Championships.

“We are hoping to rebound from a sub-par outing at the MAC meet and finish off the season on a better note,” Wells said.

Top Falcon Amber Culp has her focus on cracking the top 50, improving on her previous regional best of 56th. This will be Niki Suitor’s first time competing in the Regionals, as an injury kept her out of last season’s race.

“Niki has come a long way after being injured last cross-country season and suffering through a difficult year. I am very pleased by her progress,” Wells said.

This meet will represent the end of the cross-country careers for Cyndi Bostdorff and Sarah Lohrbach. Brianna Killian was scratched from the travel roster as she continues to be plagued by breathing problems. This decision was made in order to give her the best chance to have a successful track season.

On the men’s side, a rematch from the MAC Championships will take place. Champion Central Michigan and runner-up Eastern Michigan will both be looking to secure themselves spots in the NCAA Championships.

MAC champion Central Michigan is led by Jake Flynn, who finished second to Eastern Michigan’s Gavin Thompson at the MAC meet. Flynn is supported by Tristen Perlberg and Luke Humphrey, each of whom placed in the top 10 at the MAC meet. This trio will need another outstanding day if they want to once again top rival Eastern Michigan.

Eastern Michigan will feature defending national champion Boaz Cheboiyo, who placed a disappointing 16th after starting off in the wrong direction in the MAC race. They will also have Gavin Thompson, the MAC winner, along with Jordan Desilets and Joel David, who both grabbed top 10 honors at MAC. Other teams to watch this weekend will be Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio State, which are all nationally ranked.

Representing the Falcons in this race will be Mario Rothmund, Kris Lachowski, Troy Stiles, Josh Stucky and Steve Blasko, who is questionable with a toe injury. This weekend’s race is a 10K as opposed to the usual 8K. This will be the first time for any of these runners to compete in a 10K race.

“It will be good experience for later on in their careers to run at the regional level and race the 10K distance,” Wells said.

Falcon front-runner Mario Rothmund has his sights set on finishing in the top 25 and making the all-regional team. This race will mark the end of senior Troy Stiles cross-country career here at BGSU. The fact has yet to set in for Stiles.

“It’s kind of hard to think about. It will hit me more when I’m done,” Stiles said.

Coach Wells is sorry to see Stiles’s time as a Falcon draw to a close.

“Troy has been a great representative of Falcon men’s track and cross country the past five years and he will be missed as he finishes up his career here at BG,” Wells said. The action starts off with the women’s race at 11 a.m. and will be followed by the men’s race at noon.