Oct. 15, 2014
Event: Wisconsin adidas Invitational
Day, Date: Friday, Oct. 17
Host: University of Wisconsin
Site: Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course
Start Time: Women’s 6k Invite at 11 a.m. l Women’s 6k Open at 12:30 p.m.
Live Results: HERE
Invitation Central page: HERE
Live streaming (Flotrack subscription required): HERE
The NCAA Championship meet is still several weeks away, but the Vanderbilt women’s team will get a preview of top-level national competition this weekend when the No. 27-ranked Commodores travel to Madison, Wisc., for the Wisconsin adidas Invitational. The meet features a staggering 22 ranked teams, including six teams that are ranked among the Top-10. The Vanderbilt women, who finished eighth at the Roy Griak Invitational in their most recent race two weeks ago, are hoping that a good showing this weekend will serve as a huge momentum boost as they head into the postseason.
l Poll position. Seemingly every team competing at Friday’s race will have a number attached to its name. In addition to the No. 27-ranked Commodores, the other ranked teams include: No. 2 Michigan State, No. 5 Arkansas, No. 6 Stanford, No. 8 Iowa State, No. 9 Florida State, No. 10 Virginia, No. 11 New Mexico, No. 12 Syracuse, No. 13 North Carolina, No. 14 Washington, No. 15 Wisconsin, No. 16 Boise State, No. 17 Boston College, No. 19 William & Mary, No. 20 West Virginia, No. 23 Providence, No. 24 Dartmouth, No. 25 Arizona State, No. 26 Minnesota, No. 28 Notre Dame and No. 30 BYU. (The complete list of participating teams can be found at bottom of this page).
l Race History. Although the Wisconsin adidas Invitational was established just five years ago, it has quickly become one of the nation’s premier collegiate meets. The highlights of the event are the 8-kilometer men’s race and a 6-kilometer women’s race. The event also includes “B’ races for both men and women. All races are held at Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course, which opened in 2009.
l Not missing anything. The Vanderbilt students are on fall break Thursday and Friday, which means the cross-country Commodores won’t miss any classes during their trip to Wisconsin.
l Cool down. The Commodores were greeted by unseasonably warm weather when they arrived in Minnesota two weeks ago, but that is not expected to be the case this weekend in Wisconsin. The forecast on Friday is calling for highs in the mid-50s and lows in the lower 40s.
l Scheduled to run for Vanderbilt: Emma Abrahamson, Reagan Anderson, Sara Barron, Claire Benjamin, Carmen Carlos, Rebecca Chandler, Maddie Criscione, Katherine Delaney, Megan Huebner, Amira Joseph, Hannah Jumper, Courtney Kriegshauser, Vanessa Valentine, Lily Williams.
QUOTING THE COACHES:
Head coach Steve Keith:
On the competition level at Friday’s race. “If you want to simulate a national championship in mid-October, this is it. It really is equal to that.”
On the importance of participating in a race of this caliber. “For the girls to gain this experience, and have a chance to put themselves in this position, is big because they will feel more comfortable with it later in the year.”
On the team’s preparation. “The last two weeks have been really good. … But now it’s up to them to follow through on that. You can coach them until you’re blue in the face, but once they get on the starting line, they are the ones that have to make it happen.”
Assistant coach Rhonda Riley:
On the lasting impact of this weekend’s race. “We talk about being a national-level program, and that’s what we’re striving toward. So, it’s important for our team to be in this environment and to show they can execute.”
On the team’s mentality going into the race. “The girls are very excited. They have put in a lot of work in the past few weeks, and they are looking forward to this opportunity. We have six or seven girls who have previously run this race, so they will know what they are up against — and that’s big.”
On the team’s goals. “We have certain objectives, in terms of numbers, that we want to reach, but our main goal is to see a complete race from everyone, and see the team come together.”
PARTICIPATING TEAMS
Arizona
Arizona State (25)
Arkansas (5)
Boise State (16)
Boston College (17)
BYU (30)
Cornell
Dartmouth (24)
Duke
Edinboro
Florida
Florida State (9)
Georgia
Guelph
Harvard
Indiana
Iona
Iowa State (8)
Michigan State (2)
Minnesota (26)
New Mexico (11)
North Carolina (13)
Notre Dame (28)
Ohio State
Providence (23)
San Francisco
SMU
Stanford (6)
Syracuse (12)
Texas A&M
Toledo
UCLA
Vanderbilt (27)
Virginia (10)
Washington (14)
Weber State
West Virginia (20)
Wisconsin (15)
William & Mary (19)