The Big Ten Championships have been on fifth-year senior Nicole Edwards’ mind all season long.

And this Sunday, there’s only one place she wants to be — on top of the podium.

“My personal goal is to win,” Edwards said. “That is what I have looked towards all season, so I’ll be disappointed with anything less.”

The tri-captain of the Michigan women’s cross country team will compete in one of the deepest fields that the Big Ten has seen in years. Seven Big Ten schools are ranked in the top 30. At the top of the list is No. 7 Minnesota, the team that broke Michigan’s five-year Big Ten Championship reign last season.

Winning the championship on the hills of the U-M Golf Course won’t be easy for the decorated runner. But Edwards, who holds Michigan mile and distance medley relay records, has been using the home-course advantage in her mental preparations for the meet.

“I like to think about the race beforehand and sort of go over it in my mind and picture myself being tough when it hurts,” Edwards said. “I picture myself hanging on to someone and not dropping off when I’m tired. It’s especially helpful to know the course so well because I can see it in my mind.”

In her last performance at the Big Ten Championships, Edwards led Michigan to a third-place finish, crossing the line first for the Wolverines and seventh overall.

But the team is going to need more than just a strong performance from Edwards. In the last three Big Ten Championships, Edwards and fifth-year senior tri-captain Aly Kohlmeier paced Michigan, notching top-10 finishes each. Kohlmeier, who has returned this season after six months off for stress injuries, finished second overall in two of the meets.

Michigan will race nine runners at Big Tens, with the top-five finishers counting for scores in the meet. Winning the title will largely depend on how closely the other four Michigan runners can pace themselves behind Edwards.

“She’s been the model of consistency,” Michigan coach Mike McGuire said. “We think she’ll impact the very front of the race. … If we can gap within a minute of a person that can vie for the title individually, we’ll be in good position team wise.”

Unlike last year, when three teams contended for the title in Columbus, six teams have the potential to make a bid for the crown in Ann Arbor. Ranked just one place ahead of No. 8 Michigan, Minnesota leads a string of four Big Ten teams. Trailing the Wolverines are No. 9 Michigan State and No. 10 Illinois. Wisconsin and Penn State are also ranked in the top 20.

But Michigan is hungry to reclaim the Big Ten crown. Edwards, in her last conference effort, has a chance to capitalize on the atmosphere and familiarity of the Ann Arbor hills beneath her feet.

“I’m just going to make sure that I run my very best, as hard as I can, so that when I cross the line, no matter what the result is, I’ll know that there is nothing more I could have done.”