Cross country travels to Pre-Nationals
Some of the best squads in the nation are awaiting the Central Michigan cross country program this weekend in Terre Haute, Ind.
Two weeks before CMU travels to Kalamazoo to compete at the Mid-American Conference Championships, it will make a pit stop at the Indiana State-hosted Pre-Nationals on Saturday.
The men will take part in an 8K race consisting of 71 teams, while the women will compete in a 6K with 80 other teams.
Senior Chris Pankow said that running together will be key for the men this weekend.
“Most of us are looking to dip into the 24-minute range,” Pankow said.
Notable teams on the men’s side include Nebraska, Ohio State, New Mexico, UCLA, Florida, Michigan and Michigan State. Teams on the women’s side include Michigan, Michigan State, Harvard, Florida State, Kansas, Wisconsin and Texas.
The men will step back into competition after a week off, while trying to prepare for the upcoming weekend. The top seven from both the men’s and women’s teams will compete after a few team members took a break from racing while preparing for the upcoming schedule.
Willie Randolph, CMU director of cross country/track & field, said staying focused on their goals as a team is important heading into the weekend.
“The team has the expectation of making a positive statement for both themselves and the team,” Randolph said.
In addition to improving individual times, earning respect and recognition for their hard work is another aspect that the team looks to gain from competition this week. The men’s team finished 27th out of 35 teams last season while the women placed 31st out of 37.
Since the season is coming to a close, Randolph said the last four weeks are vital in gaining national attention toward the national voting poles for the end of the season.
In preparation of the final weeks, junior Raeanne Lohner has stepped up her workouts while concentrating on improving her performance. Lohner set a new personal record (18 minutes, 3 seconds) at this year’s Jeff Drenth Memorial. She placed 26th at the Roy Griak Invitational Sept. 25.
“At Pre-Nationals there will be a ton of great competition,” Lohner said. “My main goal is to place as high as possible to help our team score.”
Junior Holly Anderson says that learning how to help and push one another is key in preparing for Saturday’s meet.
“I want to see how we match up with the teams we will be seeing later in the season,” Anderson said.
This weekend will be a key building block for the team as it heads into the final stretch of the season. MAC Championships are Oct. 30 in Kalamazoo and NCAA Regionals are Nov. 13 in Rochester.