Notre Dame Invitational — South Bend, Ind.
When/Where: Friday, Notre Dame Golf Course in South Bend, Ind.
Women: 2:15 p.m. MT — five kilometers
Men: 3 p.m. MT — five miles
Results: GoLobos.com
When the Lobos line up Friday in South Bend, most of the runners will get their second taste of action this season.
But, unlike their first trial in early September, this meet counts.
The University of New Mexico’s nationally ranked cross country teams are starting their pursuit of the postseason Friday at the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Ind., now that meet results count toward NCAA Championships bids.
After a superb team performance Sept. 6 at the Lobo Invitational, the 12th-ranked women and 15th-ranked men are heading to Notre Dame to pick up wins against other ranked teams in order to build a championship-caliber résumé.
“It’s the first time that we’ll be running as a whole group against some major competition,” New Mexico head coach Joe Franklin said. “It’s a good gauge of where we are. We’re going to lay it all out on the line and put the best team we have on the course.”
Franklin, who is taking the Lobos to South Bend for a seventh straight year, knows that victories against ranked teams early in the season portends a successful postseason.
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So the Lobos’ next two meets—at Notre Dame and at the Wisconsin Invitational on Oct. 17—are key to a strong run.
“This weekend and Wisconsin are going to be huge meets for us in order to get done what we need to get done,” Franklin said.
The Notre Dame Invitational has been a productive trip for New Mexico recently, including last year’s runner-up finish for the women and sixth-place showing for the men.
Both teams, by dint of the their performances, were awarded with a number of résumé-building wins.
Nevertheless, Franklin knows that his Lobos, despite running once already in 2014, will have a strong test this weekend.
The men’s 5-mile race features 10 nationally ranked teams, including No. 10 BYU, No. 16 NC State, No. 18 Tulsa and No. 19 Michigan. The women’s 8-kilometer run has a trio teams in the national polls.
“There are some really good teams that will be there,” Franklin said. “So it should be a good test for us.”
However, the Lobos will counter with a talented group of runners that features plenty of veteran savvy and experience.
2013 All-American Charlotte Arter is one Lobo capable of leading the women’s pack. A top-10 finisher at last year’s edition of the Notre Dame Invitational, Arter has been one of the most consistent runners for Franklin.
However, she won’t be alone during the women’s five-kilometer race.
Returning runners Calli Thackery, Alice Wright, Nicole Roberts, Tamara Armoush, Amber Zimmerman and Nicola Hood will look to replicate UNM’s success from last year, with support from newcomers Emily Reese, Sophie Connor, Anna Burton and Emily Hosker-Thornhill.
Thackery, who finished less than a second behind Arter last year, and Roberts both scored at the 2013 edition.
Overall, the women are well-positioned to make a statement a Notre Dame considering the talent they bring back from last year’s team.
On the men’s side, a few of Franklin’s top harriers will get their first chance to compete this season.
Adam Bitchell, New Mexico’s No. 3 from last year’s sixth-place team, will make his debut in the men’s five-mile run on the Notre Dame Golf Course along with Elmar Engholm and Donovan Torres.
Those three are the only men that have competed at Notre Dame more than once, and will look to parlay their experience into a strong performance.
Also running for the men are Jake Shelley, Alex Cornwell, Ross Matheson, Graham Thomas, JP Cordova, Dan Studley, Matt Bergin and Zac Castillo.
Thomas and Matheson both scored for the men at last year’s meet, with Thomas finishing 55th and Matheson 88th overall.
“The women’s team is doing really well right now, the men’s team is doing really well right now,” Franklin said. “So if we can go out and get a few things done, we don’t have to be heroes.”
The No. 12 women will compete Friday at 2:15 p.m. MT, and the No. 15 men at 3 p.m. MT. Check back Friday evening on GoLobos.com for meet results and a New Mexico recap.