TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State men and women's cross-country teams head back to the Midwest for the second time in as many weeks for the Wisconsin adidas Invitational on Friday, Oct. 16 in Madison, Wisc.
With 20 ranked women's teams and 17 ranked men's teams competing in the invite, head coach Louie Quintana knows this is a crucial chance for the unranked men and women's teams to prove what they're capable of.
"This will be a fun weekend for our group," Quintana said. "We are in good spirits, prepared and ready to get out there and compete.
"We know that we control our own destiny right now, so we just need to stay patient, relaxed and race a calm race. If both groups do that, we will be successful."
Quintana has seven men and eight women running on Friday.
Redshirt seniors Shaina Corbin and Jennifer Owen, seniors Cristina Juan Torres and Adriana Olivas, juniors Chelsey Totten and Jenna Maack, redshirt junior Kaitlin Kaluzny, and freshman Samantha Ortega will run for the lady Sun Devils.
Redshirt seniors Ryan Herson, Ryan Norton and Jeff Bickert, senior Riley Wattier, junior Bernie Montoya, and redshirt freshmen Ryan Normand and Brandon Boys will represent the men.
The Wisconsin adidas Invite has grown to become one of the largest national meets in the country, attracting 36 teams this year.
The Sun Devils had a chance at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational two weeks ago to see what they were capable of against some of the best national talent, but sickness and fatigue led to unmet expecations.
The women still pulled out a seventh place finish in South Bend, but the men fell to 19th out of 20 teams.
The women's race will be 6K and start at 11:00 a.m. CST on Friday at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course, while the men's 8K begins at 11:45 a.m.
LAST YEAR AT WISCONSIN
The Sun Devils didn't fare as well last season at the Wisconsin adidas Invitational, as the men finished 25th and the women took 16th.
Herson ran the course last season with a time 24:20 for 46th place. Montoya, Norton and Wattier all ran the course last year as well.
For the women, Juan Torres, Olivas and Maack all ran in the event last season, with Olivas finishing 86th with a time of 21:06.