The cross country teams are back in action today at the 23rd annual Woody Greeno/Nebraska Invitational at Pioneers Park in Lincoln. The women’s race is set for 10 AM with the men to follow at 10:45 AM.
The field is considerably larger than the Creighton/UNO Classic two weeks ago. The men’s race consisted of 4 teams and the women’s race consisted of 5 teams. The men’s and women’s races will have between 25 and 30 teams.
Coach Davis took time to answer a few questions about the last meet and what to expect today in Lincoln.
White & Blue Review: What are your thoughts on the teams first meet at the CU/UNO Invite?
Chas Davis: It was so hot that we weren’t able to take a lot from times or even in some cases, places. Everyone had to run through the same heat, but it can affect everyone differently. We got to see how much some were willing to hurt.
WBR: Your second meet is this weekend. What are the benefits to having two meets in three weeks this early in the season?
CD: You’re always trying to balance this experience and opportunity to compete – why we do this – with the fatigue that builds up with more racing and lost opportunities to just train. In the past, I’ve opted for more training time without the stress of traveling and risk of over-racing. This time around, I felt this team has more to gain with another 8k and 5k under their belt.
WBR: Since it has been two weeks since your last meet and some extra time to prepare, did you travel down to Lincoln to preview the course for the new runners?
CD: Yes, we did mile repeats on the course last Saturday. Always an important workout for us a week before the race.
WBR: How are freshmen Chris Kokotajlo and Jessica Diaz? Will they expect to run Saturday after missing the first meet due to injury?
CD: Chris is good to go. No issues with the achilles in a few days and no real inflammation in a couple weeks. Jessica is still dealing with some ankle issues and figuring some other things out. We hope to have her in action for the first time at SIU (9/22).
You can always follow the cross country team on Twitter (@Cre8on_XC_Track) and Facebook.