The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Notre Dame Invitational
Cross Country faces tough competition at Notre Dame Invitational
09.29.2016 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Longhorns take on multiple ranked teams in loaded fields
USTFCCCA Results Wall (online/social media coverage)
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Cross Country will have the opportunity to test itself against some of the best teams in the nation on Friday when the Longhorns run at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational. Texas cracked the men's rankings this week at No. 30 and the women are receiving votes, but the fields at the Notre Dame Invitational will be full of other ranked opponents.
The women are set to run the 5K race at 1 p.m. CT from the Notre Dame Golf Course with a total of 23 teams toeing the line. Six of those teams are ranked, including three in the top five. Defending NCAA champion New Mexico is in the field and seven other teams are receiving votes in the latest USTFCCCA Coaches Poll to round out a very strong field.
On the men's side, they will run a 5-mile race at 2:45. The field of 25 teams includes seven ranked and four more receiving votes. The Longhorns will also see regional rivals Texas A&M and Baylor in the race.
Cross Country Coach Brad Herbster said his runners are looking forward to the challenge of running against some of the top programs in the nation. It will be a test the Longhorns have been looking forward to.
"They're really excited. That's one thing they asked for after last year. They were like, 'Yeah. We just need better competition.' You wanted it, you got it," Herbster said of the strong field at Notre Dame. "Now it's an opportunity for them to show that they really want to be there and really want to race at the highest level."
Texas will be down one of its top runners this week with Sandie Raines not competing due to a recent illness. But, Herbster said the women's team will be adding freshman Destiny Collins to the mix this week. Collins was one of the top recruits in the nation out of Great Oak High School in the San Diego, California, area.
This week's race also provides a unique opportunity to test the team's depth. In cross country, the top five finishers for each team count toward scoring and at championship level races teams can race up to seven runners. This week, Notre Dame is allowing teams to run as many as nine athletes.
With two meets under their belts already the Longhorns are approaching the midway point of the season. Herbster said he has been pleased with what he has seen so far from his team and believes Texas could be a factor in the postseason come late October and November.
"Our expectations are really high this year. I think this is the first team on the men's and women's side where we should have a legitimate shot to contend for a Big 12 title," Herbster said. "I think they're at least a top 25 team in the country. We just have to take advantage of the opportunities, and that's racing well at Notre Dame, Penn State and Big 12's. One step at a time."
Fans can keep up with the action online with the USTFCCCA providing its Results Wall this weekend for a number of meets, including the Notre Dame Invitational. The results wall will pull from social media accounts of teams participating as well as coaches and media in attendance at the meet to compile as much information as possible in one centric place focused on the meet.
Additional Quotes
Cross Country Coach Brad Herbster
On what kind of challenge he is expecting: I'm excited to get up to South Bend. I think it's going to be great competition, especially on the women's side where you have 12 teams either getting votes or are nationally ranked. We're going to be a little shorthanded without Sandie Raines. I think we're bringing a great squad up and a team that could be extremely competitive and put us on that national poll on the women's side. On the men's side, we could win it or we could get 10th. It's going to be a really close battle in terms of points, and I'm excited to get up there and really open the season with a great team like Notre Dame.
On debut of Destiny Collins this week and the women's team in general: This is Destiny Collins' first time out. She was one of the best in high school, and we're going to have a controlled race with her. She's not going to go all gangbusters on it. Penn State in two weeks will be the first time we really crank it open on the women's side. Right now, I think we're in a great spot. You have to have some freshmen step up, and I think we've got a great group of freshmen and sophomores who can fill the hole.
On sophomore Alex Rogers: Having a guy like Alex Rogers on the team, a sophomore, he's going to do great things. I think he's going to surprise a lot of people on the individual basis on the men's team.
On the men's team: We've kind of had a split squad for the first half. We ran guys who could be in our top five the first meet, and then we ran guys who could be in the top five the second week. It's a good opportunity to put the two worlds together. We're still not racing a couple guys so they can get ready to go at Penn State, but this is a great opportunity. I think the team can really surprise people on the national level by getting there and competing all the way through 8,000 meters.
On the women's team: The first two races, again, we had to split the squad up a little having a controlled effort. Both teams looked really good early on. They managed each situation well and accomplished the goals we asked them to accomplish. Now we're on a bigger stage. It's a stage where you can make some mistakes at the first two meets we had, and you can recover. At Notre Dame, it's a little more unforgiving. If you make a mistake, it's hard to recover from. You get maybe one mistake, and that's it. You could be off the back of the pace or if you're not careful you're just sliding back the next 3,000 meters. You don't want to slide back. One of our goals is to make sure we are finishing the race in that last 2,000 meters and making sure we're picking off more people.
On the long schedule and adjusting to collegiate racing: The distance kids are the only kids who race three seasons, and it is year round. For us, it's kind of unusual because you're going from very small competition to all of a sudden it matters all at once. Kind of like the Notre Dame football game here. That one race effects your entire season. This one race effects what we do the next race, but it sets us up to do great things. For us, it's just a matter of concentrating on what we can control and not worrying about what everyone else is doing. Spencer Dodds is a freshman who has been great the first two races, but now let's see what he can do over an 8k. We've kicked the training wheels off. That's a totally different animal. On the women's side, they're still running a 5k, and they ran a 5k in high school, so not as different in terms of growing and learning experience. On the guys' side, you're nearly doubling the distance, especially when you get to the national meet, some people handle it great. Some people, it takes them a year or two to handle. I'm excited. I think Spencer is one of those guys who will do extremely well.
Players Mentioned
