Cross Country Prepares for Saturday's Pre-National Invitational

Adidas Pre-National Cross Country Meet
When:	Saturday, Oct. 14
Where:	E.P. "Tom" Sawyer Park \| Louisville, Ky.
Watch:	Roll Wave!
Stats:	Roll Wave!
Twitter:	@GreenWaveXCTF
Facebook:	@GreenWaveXCTF

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Tulane men's and women's cross-country teams continue their journey toward the NCAA Division I Championships this weekend, competing in the Adidas Pre-National Cross Country Meet, Saturday, Oct. 14, at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky. The women take off at 10:45 a.m. in the seeded 6k race, while the men run at 11:30 a.m. in the unseeded 8k race.

"It is going to be a really good test for our team," director of cross country and track & field Eric Peterson said. "It will be the first time this season that we run at full strength, so it'll be a good benchmark for where we are and where we need to be. Both of our teams are going to be exposed to many of the best teams in the country, so we're really looking at this meet as a championship level race."

Hosted at the same site as the upcoming NCAA Championships, the meet features nationally-ranked programs such as BYU, Michigan, Ole Miss, Georgia and Arkansas in what serves as Tulane's final regular season tune-up. Last time out, junior Emmanuel Rotich claimed the individual title in men's five mile gold race at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Ind. with a time of 24:17.4, winning his second event of the year and helping the men's team earn a No. 12 place overall finish. Senior Moses Aloiloi finished No. 25 (25:28.3) and sophomore Carlos Zervigon placed No. 86 (26:26.8) to finish in the top 100.

"It's really important for Emanuel, with the experience that he gained last year as a sophomore, to keep the momentum that he's generated this fall going," Peterson said. "It is going to be a great test for the team."

On the women's side, senior Lauren Bartels and sophomore Sarah Cella each set new personal records in the women's 5K blue race at the Notre Dame Invitational. Bartels, who finished No. 61, posted a time of 17:32.8, beating her previous mark of 17:38.93, which she set at the Brooks Memphis Twilight XC Classic 5K last season, while Cella finished the race in 18:34.5.

"Two weeks ago at Notre Dame, we weren't quite aggressive enough early on in the race," associate head coach Michael Nussa said. "This week, a successful meet for us is being more aggressive, taking a chance early on in the race and giving ourselves an opportunity to be competitive in a large field. It's important for us to get in the spot that we need to be in early on."

Last season at Pre-Nationals, Rotich finished first, posting a time of 24:36.5 and crossing the finish line ten seconds ahead of the second-place runner. On the women's side, Bartels paced Tulane, finishing the 6k in No. 128 place with a time of 21:42.0, while senior Emma Newton came in No. 144, finishing in 21:48.1.

Fans can follow along for results on Twitter (@GreenWaveXCTF) or find the team on Facebook. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and @TulaneAthletics on Snapchat.

Cross Country Prepares for Saturday's Pre-National Invitational

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Emma Newton

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