Gallo on all-Big 10 First Team for third straight year

Lindsey Gallo’s final cross country season at the University of Michigan was everything she expected.

On Nov. 2, the Howell High School alumna helped the Wolverines win their second straight Big 10 championship with her best finish ever: sixth. That enabled Gallo to earn all-Big 10 First Team honors for the third straight year.

The Wolverines, who had the individual champion in Rebecca Walter, easily repeated as Big 10 No. 1 with a low score of 31 points. Runner-up Michigan State was at 57.

Michigan, which is ranked 10th in the country, put its first five runners in the top 15 in East Lansing.

The Big 10 championships were held at East Lansing (Mich.), on the Forest Akers East Golf Course, home to MSU.

Gallo, who was the Wolverines’ No. 3 runner, covered the 6,000-meter course in 21:11.1 in her final race. Her teammate, Walter, posted a 20:40.5 in winning the individual title.

Gallo finished seventh the last two years at the Big 10 meet. The former Rebel great has been posting the fastest times of her career for 5,000 and 6,000 meters this fall.

On Saturday, Michigan travels to Terre Haute, Ind., for the NCAA Great Lakes regional championships. The top two teams at the regionals will earn an automatic berth to the National Collegiate Athletic Association championships, set for Nov. 24 in Terre Haute.