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Ben Flanagan wins NCAA Great Lakes Regional XC Championships

The Canadian becomes the third Michigan Wolverines man to win the Great Lakes Regional Cross-Country Championships

Ben Flanagan
Ben Flanagan
Photo: Kyle Terwillegar/Michigan Athletics.

First it was Kevin Sullivan. Then Nate Brannen. Now, the latest Canadian to win the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Cross-Country Championships for Michigan men is Ben Flanagan.

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The Kitchener, Ont. native won the regional event in the leadup to the American university cross-country championships on Friday becoming the third Canadian and Michigan student among men to win the championship. He won the 10K in 30:54, six seconds over second-place.

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The Great Lakes Regional Championships were held in Terre Haute, Ind. at LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, one of the most popular venues in the United States. Michigan earned a berth at nationals by finishing second – top two automatically qualify – as a team.

According to Michigan Track, Sullivan, one of Canada’s all-time great middle-distance runners, and Brannen, a three-time Olympian, won the NCAA regional event when they were Wolverines in 1993-95 and 1997 as well as 2004. Sullivan is the cross-country head coach at Michigan.

Jaimie Phelan, the 2017 NCAA 1,500m champion, also attends Michigan, a university rich in Canadian athletics history, but did not race on Friday.

The NCAA Division One Cross-Country Championships are Nov. 18 in Louisville, Ken.

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