Texas A&M will fight to the finish line against 16 teams at home at the Dale Watts Cross Country course this Saturday.
The men’s race, covering 8,000m, will begin at 8:15 a.m. Saturday morning while the women’s race will start at 9 a.m., spanning 6,000m.
Karis Jochen, business honors senior, said Saturday will be a good challenge for the women’s team.
“This weekend should be the team’s first test of how we will work together,” Jochen said. “There are a lot of teams coming down [with] talented individuals. I think every single one of the girls will have their own inner race to fight for a team spot.”
The men’s team also has high expectations as they enter this Saturday with all hands on deck. Alex Riba, management junior, said the team has a clear goal entering the race.
“The field is going to be really good,” Riba said. “We expect to go out and compete be in contention for the title.”
With the addition of new members and veterans, the men’s team has the chance to have great success this season. Last year, they lost a couple of top runners, but everyone will be running at the Invitational with the hope they will be stronger in the back, where cross country meets are really won.
Assistant coach Wendel McRaven said facing the competition this weekend will give the coaching staff a good idea of what kind of team they have on their hands.
“This meet gives us some insight to see how we stack up against the region right now,” McRaven said.
McRaven said a few of the members of the women’s team are sick, so the squad might be competing without the top seven runners.
Jochen said the Aggies will favor from competing on their home course, and large crowds only help the confidence of the runners.
“You just feel more support and more encouragement to do your best and represent Texas A&M well,” Jochen said. “I think it’s a benefit to have fans.”
In preparation for Saturday’s Invitational, the men’s and women’s cross country teams will not significantly change their workout regimen. Instead of a hard workout on Friday, they will take it easy to be ready for Saturday.
“We will do a pre-run race the day before, but we try to keep our weeks pretty standard because it’s a long season and consistency is key to make it to the end,” Jochen said.
Texas currently leads both teams from the South Central region. On the men’s side, there will be nine of the top ten schools in the South Central Region running. As for the women’s, nine of the top 15 schools in the region will be competing.
Three weeks after their first meet, the Aggies host the Texas A&M Invitational with high expectations. They hope to make a strong start to their season running fast but more importantly working together.
“The team is really excited,” Jochen said. “We have been training hard and the girls are really excited to show what they have.”
Following the collegiate races Saturday, there will also be 28 high schools and more than 770 runners racing 5,000m. Next week, A&M cross country will travel to the Notre Dame Invitational on Oct. 2 in Indiana.
