The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA Pre Nationals
Cross Country looks for strong showing at Pre-National Invitational
10.16.2014 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Longhorns face number of ranked teams in Indiana
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AUSTIN, Texas – Texas cross country will have another tough test this weekend as the Longhorns race a number of ranked teams at the Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana on Saturday. The race will be on the same course the NCAA Championships will be on and some of the top teams will be there to test out the course and their squads against strong competition.
The Pre-National Invitational will feature three men's and women's races. Women will run 6,000 meters with the men trekking 8,000 meters. Texas will run the Blue Races against the strongest competition of the meet. Action starts at 11 a.m. for the women with the men to follow at 11:35.
The Longhorn men enter this weekend ranked No. 30 in the latest USTFCCCA Coaches Poll. Seven other ranked men's teams will be in action in Terre Haute, including No. 1 Colorado and No. 2 Oregon. Cross country coach Brad Herbster said he will be hoping to see his third, fourth and fifth runners improve their standing and run as a pack to help the team scoring.
"This is a great opportunity for us. Oregon and Colorado are going to do what they do, but we've got to get in that top three or four in a meet like this. It's all going to come down to our 3-4-5 guys. They know that, and we've been working on this for three weeks now, and hopefully they understand that as we are going into this competition."
Defending NCAA individual champion Edward Cheserek of Oregon will be in the field along with some of other top individuals. Herbster said a finish in the top 15 would be a good showing from Craig Lutz and Mark Pinales in a field as large as the Pre-National Invitational. Behind them, Texas needs to see its next three runners finish about a minute behind to keep the scoring tight and protect the team's placement in the meet.
"If our men behind Lutz and Pinales can run together and group it up, we're going to be really good and we'll surprise some people," he said. "I think we could finish third in this meet or maybe fifth. We definitely don't want to walk out of there ninth or anything like that. Top five would be nice but at the end of the day we've got to do better than where we were at the Griak Invitational last time out."
On the women's side six ranked teams are running at the Pre-National Invitational this year, and four of them are ranked in the Top 10, including No. 1 Michigan. Herbster said he is looking for general improvement across the board for the women heading into the Big 12 Championships in two weeks and his top two runners to make a charge.
In addition to some of the top ranked teams in the country, the Texas women will be up against some teams from the South Central Region at the Pre-National Invitational. Finishing ahead of those teams could build confidence for the conference and regional championship meets. This weekend provides a chance to make that statement for the Longhorns.
"We have to make sure our front runners are up there running with the front pack. We've got a good group, we just need to go out there and show it one time," Herbster said of his women. "We've got to get in there and mix it up with teams in our own region. This is a chance for us to compete with those schools and prove ourselves against them. It's our time to step up and stick our nose in it somewhat."
Fans can follow the action from Indiana State's LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course online with live coverage provided by FloTrack. Subscribers to the site's FloTrack Pro service can watch the race online.
The USTFCCCA will also have a live blog on its site covering all the cross country action in the nation this week. Updates can be found on Twitter by following @UTexasTrack along with @FloTrack and @IndStTrackField.
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