The cross country teams will take a trip to Lubbock this weekend to compete in the Red Raider Invitational where they will be running against Texas Tech and other big schools.
With such a great finish from both teams in the season opener last weekend, the Wildcats are expected to do just as well in this meet as they face higher-skilled opponents.
“Every position counts when you’re trying to score as a team,” said Daniel Block, senior journalism major from Dalmeny, Saskatchewan. “We run well, but we’ll have to step it up a notch for our upcoming races.”
Block is known to outrun his opponents and is expected to do so in this setting. In a previous meet with Texas Tech, he was the number two runner in the regular season meet.
As the men look to have another successful weekend, the women are also expected to come out on top after their dominating performance in the West Texas College Open last weekend.
“There is always room for improvement and we won’t settle for anything,” said Stephanie Melo, sophomore pre-vet major from Keller. “We have many more goals to meet by the end of this year after finishing our first meet in an overall first place.”
One goal is to take first place in the Tech tournament. As the ‘Cats are in just their second year of Div. I, opponents may think they have an advantage, but the ACU cross country team has proven it can compete with veteran Div. I schools.
“Our team is pretty excited and we are ready for more competition to see how much we have improved and see how much we have left in the season,” Melo said.
ACU has the skill to compete, and its training reflects that. It is a determined group, both as a team and individually.
“We have high expectations because more competitive teams and faster runners can only make us push ourselves harder, and even if we don’t perform as well as we wish, this will only help us in the long run of the season,” Melo said.
The women’s cross country team recognizes the difference in competition and will use that to its advantage. The ‘Cats have been training specifically for a competition against a higher level, and this weekend, they will prove they can run with the best.
“If you want to improve, the only way is to train everyday with positivism and never give up,” said Marina Guerrero, junior from Banyoles, Spain.
