24th Annual Running Fit-Detroit Titan Invitational Information Page

Yearly Winners & Cass Benton Records in pdf.

Back for another year of competition, the Detroit men's and women's cross country team will host the 24th Annual Running Fit-Detroit Titan Invitational on Saturday. The meet will be held in its usual location at Cass Benton Park in Northville. 

For more information on the meet schedule, open meets, records and directions to Cass Benton, click here.

The event starts at 9:30 a.m., with the women's and men's open 5k race. At 10:45, the first-ever middle school race for boys and girls – 8th grade and under - will start with the young runners competing on a 1.5 mile course. Kids nine (9) and under will then have an opportunity to show their skills in the classic “Tommy Titan Future Legends Race” as the colorful UDM mascot Tommy Titan races the children on the final hill of the course. 

The highlight of the morning will be the men's and women's collegiate races with the women's 5k going off at 11:15 a.m., followed by the men's 4-mile showcase at 11:45. 

The collegiate and post graduate teams participating on the day are; Concordia, Eastern Michigan (men), Front Line Racing, Macomb County Community College, Madonna, Marygrove, Michigan Running Club, Oakland Community College and Wayne State. 

The men's collegiate race will feature last year's defending champion Curtis Vollmar as he looks to become the fifth person to ever win multiple invitational titles. Vollmar was an All-American in 2010 in track on the distance medley relay and won the college 5k in 19:54 in 2009. Two more top five runners from a year ago will also return in Wayne State's Pat Webster (4th) and EMU's James Hughes (5th).

The race will feature defending 5k open champion Matt Fecht, a WSU alum, who will once again take part in both the open and collegiate race as he continues his training for the Chicago Marathon. 

The Titans are on schedule to run a full squad at the meet, led by senior and three-time All-Horizon League honoree Pat Liederbach (Petoskey, MI/Petoskey). Liederbach has not run in the event since his freshman year in 2007, when he posted a time of 21:08, the fifth best time ever by a collegian. Top 100 runner from last year's NCAA Great Lakes Regional Alex Harris (Huntington Woods, MI/Shrine) will look to improve on his 2007 run of 21:21, the seventh best tally at Cass Benton, while Erik Westbrook (Fremont, MI/Fremont) earned the 13th spot on the course's record list with a 21:35 in 2009.

“We are excited for the race,” said head coach Guy Murray. “We are as healthy as we have been at this point in a long time and we plan to run the full line-up looking to challenge for the top spot.”

Eastern Michigan won the event last year with a 19 team score. The men have never won the race and the only individual Titan to ever win in front of his home fans was Chris McPhee, who did it twice in 1999 and 2001. McPhee also holds the top time for a college runner at Cass Benton with his 1999 run of 20:04.

The women's side has runner-up Angela Matthews from Front Line Racing back as well as Lauren Kessler of Wayne State, the top returning collegian who took fourth last year. Front Line also has three of its top six harriers returning and will now look to really challenge a proven WSU Warrior squad.

The Titans are currently battling some injuries and won't be at full strength, but they will have their top returner in Alexandria Vintevoghel (Casco, MI/Marine City). Last year as a freshman, Vintevoghel turned in the eighth best Titan rookie debut at the park earning 16th in 19:46. She was also the top Titan in the 2010 opener taking 12th at the Golden Grizzly Open.

“We won't be at full strength, but we are improved overall and we think it will show with some Cass-Benton PR's,” noted Murray.

Like the men, the women have never won the challenging event and have one individual champion in its history as Angie Lefere took the top place in 1997 with a time of 18:50. That run is the second best time at Cass Benton, behind Titan alum Kim Hemstreet's 2002 journey in 17:58. 

Full results of the races will be posted on DetroitTitans.com as soon as they become available.