Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Salukis set for Notre Dame Invitational
10/01/2014 | 12:00:00 | Cross Country
By Rico Cruz
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill.- After sweeping the men's and women's races at the Saluki Invitational, the Southern Illinois University cross country teams head to South Bend, Ind., for the Notre Dame Invitational on Friday.
Head coach David Beauchem sees the meet as an opportunity for the backside of his team to establish themselves.
"Our biggest expectation is to run a lot better with our fourth, fifth and sixth runners," said Beauchem. "Our first two and three runners on both sides have run pretty solidly and we really need to see some significant improvement in the backside of our scoring positions."
The SIU women will compete in the Blue 5K race, which features a strong field. Of the 24 teams competing in the race, 23 are regionally ranked with two also being ranked nationally (New Mexico 12th, Penn State 30th). After finishing first and second respectively at the Saluki Invitational, Kelley Gallagher and Sadie Darnell will look for a repeat performance. Last year, the women's team won the 5K Gold race. SIU will also have runners competing in the 5K Open race.
The Saluki men will be one of the top teams competing in the Gold 8K race. Regionally ranked teams Duquesne, Loyola, and Pittsburgh will also be in the field. Oscar Medina will look to continue his strong season, after winning the Saluki Invitational two weeks ago.
The men's Gold Division 8K race will begin at 1:45 p.m., and the women's Blue Division 5K race is set to start at 3:15 p.m.
