The Lobo cross country team is ready to compete at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational on Friday.
The women’s team showed why it is worthy of its No. 1 national ranking, winning in dominant fashion at Notre Dame. The event saw five Lobos finish in the top 12 and senior Courtney Frerichs receive Mountain West Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors.
While the rest of the country is chasing the Lobos, the team cannot afford to look back. 20 of the top 25 women’s teams in the nation will be competing while the men will have to face off against 17 of the top 25 men’s programs.
“It’s the best meet in the country, other than the national championships,” head coach Joe Franklin said. “This race is the only opportunity to simulate what happens.”
Franklin said he hopes both teams will be successful in achieving a tight time spread between runners. He said runners can benefit from gaining knowledge from experienced teammates that have run the event in the past.
Redshirt sophomore Alice Wright said she hopes to run well with her teammates and stay together. She said she realizes there’s an expectation for the team to do well and protect that number one ranking and that staying together and communication will be keys to success.
“We’re going to be wearing turquoise for the first time this year, and I think that will really help us find each other in the race,” Wright said. “This race is really about making sure we find our teammates, run with each other and finish as highly as possible.”
Wright admitted the squad was nervous at Notre Dame, mainly because it was the first race. But as the season progresses, she said the nerves will slightly fade. Wright said she learned a lot from the first race of the season, and that the team will be looking to improve as much as possible.
“There’s obviously pressure being number one, and we want to show what we’re made of and rise to the occasion, but Coach Franklin does a great job of making sure we’re also having fun,” Wright said.
Franklin said the most positive aspect he’s observed this year is the support that the men and women are giving each other. He said that can make the difference between a good team and a great one. Perhaps as a result of that support, both programs received number one rankings in the Mountain West midseason polls this week.
Franklin said the team has had some incredible workouts and believes both teams are capable of great showings. He said they have a group of unique and talented individuals who work hard on preparation and that, when you put in the work, things usually take care of themselves.
“If you’re going to take an organic chemistry test and you haven’t studied, you should be scared. But if you’ve trained and done the work, you shouldn’t be worried,” he said. “They’ve trained, they’re exceptionally fit. Now all they have to do is go take their exam.”
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The women will start at 10 a.m. and the men at 10:45 a.m. M.T., running six kilometers and eight kilometers respectively.
Robert Maler is a reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @robert_maler
