Cross Country: Runners to take on nation’s best at Wisconsin Invitational

The Wisconsin Adidas Invitational is the place to be this weekend for a nationally ranked NCAA cross-country team. When the gun goes off for the men’s 8K race at 1:40 p.m. on Friday, of the 40-team field, no fewer than 20 of the top 30 ranked teams in the nation will toe the line. Not to be outdone, the women’s 6K race will likewise feature 18 ranked squads.

When Friday arrives, the Princeton men’s and women’s cross-country teams will look to push themselves against the best in what is shaping up to be their biggest test of the regular season.

“The team is really stoked to get to line up against the best in the nation. After all, we belong in that group, and we’re all looking for a chance to prove ourselves,” senior co-captain Donn Cabral said.

Leading up to Wisconsin, the Tigers are coming off of impressive finishes at the prestigious Notre Dame Invitational two weeks ago. In that competitive race, the men took third, while the women placed eighth in the team standings. Nevertheless, both squads look to have comparatively better performances this weekend as they capitalize on the hard training that they have put in since Sept. 30.

“Since Notre Dame, our guys have come a long way. We’ve had some killer workouts that I think will really help us to deal with the mental aspect of racing, as well as physically serve a purpose,” Cabral said.

The Adidas Invite will also give Princeton a chance to prove itself against a number of its rivals. Apart from the team standings, 2010 All-Americans Cabral and senior co-captain Brian Leung will likely be up top in the mix for the individual title, running against some of the top harriers in the country.

The women are also hungry to have another shot at some of the schools that beat them earlier at Notre Dame.

“Going into Wisconsin, the goal for the team is to beat some of the teams that were within reach at Notre Dame ... Teams like Clemson, BYU, Notre Dame and Penn State are all within reach, and I think with a solid performance this weekend that reflects our potential that we can definitely beat teams like them,” senior captain Alex Banfich said.

Racing against such a high-caliber field will undoubtedly provide the Tigers with valuable experience. While the men may not pull out the win over other imposing teams such as No. 2 Wisconsin and a full strength No. 4 Stanford squad, pushing themselves over the championship style course will prepare them for later in the fall.

“I’ve heard there will be 25 of the nation’s top 30 ranked teams competing at Wisconsin, so we’ll have our hands full. But, it being significantly more competitive than our last meet at Notre Dame, it will be a great introduction for our guys to the level of competition we’ll hopefully see at nationals if all goes as planned,” Cabral said.

Meanwhile, the Tigers will also have second teams competing at the Princeton Invitational on West Windsor Fields this Saturday. Although the field will be less competitive than what the “B” team saw at the Paul Short Invite on Sept. 30, the race will provide the Princeton men and women with an opportunity to test out their home course for the first time this season. This will be especially beneficial for the runners, as this year’s Ivy League Heptagonal Championships will take place at home on Oct. 29. The Princeton Invitational will start at 10:30 a.m. and will be the first of two opportunities to watch the cross-country teams race on campus.

In the last few days before the weekend, the Tigers are gearing themselves up for what will be an exciting yet challenging weekend. However, as they have proved before, they will be ready for the task ahead.