Oct. 11, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame cross country squads travel to Madison, Wisc., this Friday for the highly competitive Wisconsin adidas Invitational, which features 37 ranked teams scattered throughout the men’s and women’s fields.
The third-annual meet is run on the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course, which opened in 2009 and is located adjacent to University Ridge Golf Course in Madison.
“This field is loaded with ranked teams and reminds me of the NCAA Championship meet,” said men’s head coach Joe Piane. “Our team will have to begin the race much more aggressively to have a chance to improve from two weeks ago.”
“This week is another step up in competition with such a great field,” said women’s head coach Tim Connelly. “We have to learn to compete against the best and Friday will offer us a chance to do just that.”
An 8K race slated for 2:40 p.m. ET, showcases 40 men’s teams and 19 ranked foes. Highlighting the field are top-10 teams No. 2 Wisconsin, No. 4 Stanford, No. 6 BYU, No. 7 Indiana, No. 9 N.C. State and No. 10 Oregon.
The women’s 6K race, which gets underway at 2 p.m. ET, features 42 teams and 18 ranked opponents. Top-10 teams include No. 1 Villanova, No. 2 Providence, No. 6 Stanford, No. 7 New Mexico, No. 8 Syracuse and No. 9 Iowa State.
There will also be a pair of “B” races for both men and women. The men’s 8K “B” race will begin at 4 p.m. ET, with the women’s 6K “B” race set for 3:20 p.m. ET.
The meet offers the Irish a prime opportunity to see several conference foes just two weeks before the BIG EAST Championships. Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Syracuse and Villanova will join Notre Dame in Madison for the race.
Coming off a fifth-place finish at the Notre Dame Invitational two weeks ago, the women’s team vaulted into the 25th slot in the USTFCCCA Div. I national rankings and No. 3 in the Great Lakes Regional rankings.
The men’s team placed 11th at the Notre Dame Invitational, falling out of the national rankings, but holding onto their No. 4 ranking in the region.
Complete results of the Wisconsin adidas Invitational will be available on UND.com following the conclusion of the race.
Men’s Field (40 Teams)
No. 2 Wisconsin; No. 4 Stanford; No. 6 BYU; No. 7 Indiana; No. 9 N.C. State; No. 10 Oregon; No. 13 Northern Arizona; No. 14 Princeton; No. 16 Georgetown; No. 17 Minnesota; No. 21 Syracuse; No. 22 UCLA; No. 23 Arizona State; No. 24 Providence; No. 25 New Mexico; No. 26 Michigan; No. 27 Texas A&M; No. 28 Florida; No. 29 North Carolina; Air Force; Arizona; Cal; Clemson; Georgia; Harvard; Illinois; Iowa; Iowa State; Kansas; Lamar; Marquette; Michigan State; Nebraska; Notre Dame; Ohio State; Purdue; Texas; Villanova; Washington; William & Mary.
Women’s Field (42 Teams)
No. 1 Villanova; No. 2 Providence; No. 6 Stanford; No. 7 New Mexico; No. 8 Syracuse; No. 9 Iowa State; No. 12 Oregon; No. 13 North Carolina; No. 14 Arizona; No. 15 Michigan State; No. 21 Minnesota; No. 22 Florida; No. 23 Iowa; No. 24 Washington; No. 25 Notre Dame; No. 27 BYU; No. 28 Princeton; No. 30 Clemson; Air Force; Arizona State; Boston College; Cal; Georgia; Harvard; Illinois; Indiana; James Madison; Kansas; Nebraska; Northern Arizona; N.C. State; Northwestern; Ohio State; Purdue; San Francisco; Stony Brook; Texas A&M; Toledo; UCLA; Vanderbilt; William & Mary; Wisconsin.
Men’s Student-Athletes (11 Participating)
Randall Babb; Jordan Carlson; Martin Grady; Jake Kildoo; Kelly Lynch; Jeffrey MacMillan; J.P. Malette; Jeremy Rae; Walter Schafer; Patrick Smith; DJ Thornton.
Women’s Student-Athletes (14 Participating)
Alexa Aragon; Kelly Curran; Emily Frydrych; Gabby Gonzales; Molly Hirt; Michelle Mowry; Angela Ryck; Jessica Rydberg; Allison Schroeder; McKinzie Schulz; Katherine Stultz; Susanna Sullivan; Rebecca Tracy; Rachel Velarde.
–ND–