EVANSVILLE, Ind. -- The fifth-ranked ACU men's cross country team will be back on the course Saturday morning at the Southern Indiana Pre-National Invitational the USI Cross Country Coruse.
The men's 8-kilometer race is scheduled for a 9:30 a.m. start, while the women's 6-kilometer competition is slated to begin at 10:15 a.m. Saturday's race will take place at the same course that will host the NCAA Division II national championship meet on Nov. 14.
An estimated 230 competitors from 13 men's squads and 10 women's teams will compete at the USI Pre-National Invitational Saturday.
The men's field has four nationally ranked programs including No. 5 ACU, No. 9 Southern Indiana, No. 12 Stonehill College, and No. 24 Harding University. Harding's Daniel Kirwa, a two-time NCAA II 10k champion in outdoor track, figures to be one of the top individual competitors.
The Wildcats figure to have their complete team on the course for the first time this season. Daniel Maina, Amos Sang and Cleophas Tanui make the Wildcats one of the favorites to win both the NCAA Division II South Central Region title and the national championship. Those three have not competed in a race yet this season.
After Saturday's race, the Wildcats have two weeks to prepare for the ACU Naimadu Pre-Regional meet (Oct. 10) and then get ready for the Lone Star Conference championship meet (Oct. 24 in Canyon). The regional meet will be in Abilene on Nov. 7, followed by the national championship meet one week later.
Five nationally ranked teams are slated to compete in the women's race Saturday, as No. 11 USI and No. 13 University of Tampa should battle it out for first place. No. 21 Harding, No. 22 Stonehill, No. 23 Ferris State University, and Bellarmine University also could figure into the mix for the team title.
