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EDINBORO, PA – The Edinboro University men’s
and women’s cross country teams will compete in the
prestigious 50th Annual Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend,
Indiana on Friday, September 30. The Fighting Scots will compete
in the Gold Division, with the women’s race getting underway
at 2 p.m. and the men’s race starting at 2:45 p.m.
Head coach Doug Watts wasn’t happy that
his teams were placed in the Gold Division as opposed to the Blue
Division, which features all Division I teams. In addition, the
NCAA is using it as a race for regional purposes, which precludes
non-Division I teams. But as Watts explained, the field became
very large, with 13 nationally-ranked teams out of 30 teams
participating.
The Gold Division won’t be easy, however,
as it features many of the best teams in the country on the
Division II and III levels, along with numerous Division I teams.
“Our women have struggled with
their focus since learning they wouldn’t be running in the
Blue Division,” admitted Watts. “It’s still solid
competition. But we will not risk putting back in Heather
(Wilmoth) and Lindsay (Roberts). We’ll let them go another
two weeks of rehabilitation.”
A year ago the women’s cross country team
placed second at the NCAA Division II National Championships, and
the men’s team finished seventh. Both teams are highly-ranked
this year, with the women ranked fifth and the men eighth. The
team have had strong showings while competing in the Buffalo State
Invitational, the Fordham Invitational, and the Edinboro Rag
Relays, but Watts knows his team steps up in class this Friday.
“This is the first real meet of
the season,” he emphasized. “We haven’t had a
chance to run like we’re capable of. We’ll see if we’re
ready to run like an Edinboro team.”
Watts sees the women’s portion of the Gold
Division being stronger than the men’s, although the men’s
side has a number of nationally-ranked teams on the Division II
and III level.
“Hopefully we’ll put our six
guys within 30 seconds of each other and score well. Ryan Coon’s
getting better and better every week.”
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