After a summer without any team meets, it is once again time for Ohio distance runners to take to the trails.
The men’s and women’s cross country teams will look to begin their season strong in the Marietta College Carl Broughton Invite Saturday.
Coach Clay Calkins said he is excited for the first race of the season after intense training throughout the summer.
“We had an adequate week of training as all the runners got back to school,” he said. “Coming off a full week of pre-camp, this week’s training seemed somewhat low-key, but I think we are ready to show what we can do.”
Calkins said what he calls “the B-teams” will be running in the Carl Broughton Invite to help determine the top squad to run in the Ohio Invitational in two weeks.
But Calkins still anticipates some strong finish times for both the men’s and women’s teams, as the runners will attempt to prove themselves. Some of the stronger performances might come from the freshmen who will be competing in their first collegiate race.
“I think we are really just shooting for a trial run for the men to get the freshmen out in a race,” Calkins said. “For the women though, I think senior Erica Toussant will have a very good race and finish in the top 12, but in the end it is just a chance to go out on the course and get acclimated to begin the season.”
While the best runners might not be participating in the races tomorrow, Calkins hopes to still fare well against the competition.
Preseason MAC rankings released
The official Mid-American Conference preseason polls were released last week.
The men’s and women’s teams are predicted to finish seventh and fifth, respectively.
The women trail Toledo, Miami, Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan in their league of 12 teams, while the men were ranked much lower, as only nine MAC schools have men’s teams.
Calkins said he expects both squads to have good seasons despite not being ranked as high as they desired. Many of the runners on the men’s team will be upperclassmen this season and are eager to prove themselves.
“We are going to start out to get a feel for what we can do this season, but
I think we will still finish the season pretty satisfied,” Calkins said.
The women’s race starts at 10 a.m., and the men will run at 11 a.m.
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