Auburn, Ala.—The Auburn women's cross country team will travel to Madison, Wisc., this weekend to compete in the Wisconsin Pre-National Meet at the Zimmer Championship Course, site of the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Auburn will be competing in the 35-team Cardinal Race starting at 10 a.m. CT on Saturday.
The very competitive field of 35 teams will feature 10 teams ranked in the USTFCCCA Top 25 poll, including four top team teams and the nation's top team, Colorado. Other ranked teams in the field include Oregon (4), Arkansas (7), BYU (9), Indiana (11), NC State (13), Ole Miss (18), Minnesota (21), Portland (23), and Florida State (25).
"This is definitely a big meet, it's definitely the biggest meet in the country and up to this point probably the biggest meet of any meet that's been held so far," Auburn distance and cross country coach David Barnett said. "It's going to be the most competitive race that our team has competed in, in the last several years. We've never gone to Pre-National meets. I just think that it's really important for the team to get exposed to that and see what it's all about. Definitely going to be a strong field but it'll be good too. There's always going to be someone to push you. It will be good to see where we stack up."
Saturday will be Auburn's third meet of the year. Auburn opened at home on Sept. 7 at the Auburn Invitational and were led by sophomore Mercy Kiprop, who took 18th in 14:06.7 over the 4k course. Two weeks ago against a large field, Auburn was 10th at the Louisville Classic. Sophomore Joyce Kimeli paced the way with a 16th place finish in 17:13.5 over 5k, followed by Kiprop's 70th place.
The Pre-National Meet will serve as a strong test for the young Tigers that feature 13 of 17 underclassmen on the roster.
"The progress has been great and we have a young team," Barnett said. "The majority of the team freshmen and sophomores so we've been a little bit conservative on the front end. They're really starting to come around. They're running personal best in practice. They're looking stronger and stronger. I think their confidence is building. I think by and large we're getting to where we want to be."
Live results for the Wisconsin Pre-National Meet can be found at: http://www.rtspt.com/events/ncaa/prenats18/
After the race in Madison the Tigers will host the SEC Championships on Oct. 26 in Auburn at Indian Pines Golf Course.
