Huskies Join Up For Run At Pre-Nationals

Saturday, October 19

Terre Haute, IN

8:00 AM

University of Washington

Pre-Nationals

October 17, 2019 | Cross Country

By: UW Athletic Communications

2019 Pre-National Invitational
Terre Haute, Ind. | Saturday, Oct. 19
LaVern Gibson Championship Course

Women's Blue Race - 8:00 am PT
Men's Blue Race - 8:35 am PT

Women's Open Race - 10:30 am PT
Men's Open Race - 11:05 am PT

Live Results | Flotrack Live Stream ($)

SEATTLE – For the first time this season the Husky men's and women's cross country teams are joining forces and heading to the same destination. The fourth-ranked men and eighth-ranked women are off to Terre Haute, Ind. for the annual Pre-National Invitational which takes place this Saturday, Oct. 19, at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course.

Saturday's meet is already the final regular season race before the championship portion of the schedule begins with Pac-12s on November 1. Strong finishes in the large Pre-National fields will mean points towards potential NCAA Championship qualification.

Washington will be in the Blue Races with additional individuals running in the open races. The women's 6,000-meter Blue Race will go early Saturday at 8 a.m. Pacific time and feature 37 teams including 10 teams currently ranked in the USTFCCCA Top-30. The men's 8,000-meter Blue Race follows at 8:35 a.m. Pacific and has 38 teams in the field including 10 ranked in the Top-30.

The Open Races will go off at 10:30 a.m. for the women and 11:05 a.m. for the men.

Maurica Powell, Director of Track & Field and Cross Country, says the goal for the women's squad this week will be to run together as a pack. Powell has 10 women making the trip, seven of whom will race in the Blue Race and three in the Open.

Traveling for the women are seniors Lilli Burdon, Kaitlyn Neal, and Katie Rainsberger, juniors Kiera Marshall, Allie Schadler, and Hannah Waskom, sophomores Camila David-Smith, Shona McCulloch, and Erica Schroeder and freshman Andrea Markezich. Freshman Mel Smart, who has led the Huskies at their first two races, will be resting this week.

This will be the first meet where the men will run their full squad. A few Dawgs raced at both the Battle In Beantown and the John Payne/Curtis XC Invite, but most raced at one or the other. Head Coach Andy Powell will take 11 men to Terre Haute, including seniors Julius Diehr, Andrew Jordan, and Mick Stanovsek, juniors Talon Hull, Nick Laccinole, Gavin Parpart, Tibebu Proctor, Jack Rowe, sophomore Alex Slenning, redshirt freshman Isaac Mohn, and freshman Sam Tanner.

Ranked opponents in the women's race include No. 2 BYU, No. 3 Colorado, No. 7 Michigan, Boise State and Florida State, which are tied for 11th, 17th-ranked Ole Miss, No. 20 Illinois, No. 26 Boston College, and No. 30 Oklahoma State.

The men's field features No. 2 BYU, No. 3 Colorado, No. 8 Ole Miss, No. 14 Oklahoma State, No. 15 Indiana, No. 21 Iona, No. 27 Arkansas, No. 29 Virginia Tech, and No. 30 Florida State.