Women's Cross Country Set to Face Deep National Field
9/30/2010 12:00:00 AM
Sept. 30, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Alabama women's cross country team resumes competition tomorrow with its first true test against a national field at the Notre Dame Invitational on Friday, Oct. 1, in South Bend, Ind.
The women's Blue Division race is headlined by the top three teams in the nation - No. 1 Villanova, No. 2 Florida State and No. 3 Washington - in a 24-team field that features a total of 12 ranked teams. The Crimson Tide's women will take off on the 5-kilometer course at 3:15 p.m. CDT
With such stout competition facing the Tide on what is typically a fast course, head coach Randy Hasenbank is anxious to see how his team responds to the championship-caliber atmosphere.
"It's a big-time event and a great competition," Hasenbank said. "I want us to get in there and compete at a very high level and hopefully surprise some teams."
In the team's first two races of the season it was paced by junior Andrea Torske's two top-five finishes and very strong showings from sophomores Leigh Gilmore and Katlyn Will. Hasenbank is looking for continued strong showings from that group and a solid race from his deep team.
"I want to see some of our stars shine and I want to see our team be aggressive up front." Hasenbank added. "We've trained hard and we've trained fast and I want them to take more risks and get out front and push."
Following Friday's meet, the team will have a weekend off to continue its training before heading back to Indiana on Oct. 16 for the Pre-NCAA meet in Terre Haute on the same course that the NCAA Championships are contested on.
