Pocatello, ID - Idaho State Cross Country showed a lot of promise in their home opener at the Riverside Golf Course. However, under coach Zach Kughn, the last thing an athlete can do is get complacent.
The Bengal women are coming off of a strong performance at the Big Sky Preview, which featured Cassandra Vasquez and Alivia Johnson finishing with 5K times that stood among the best in the Mountain Region. On the men's side, Kughn believed that his runners are still working towards their full potential and continues to implement a detailed training program so that each athlete is feeling good and ready to push themselves on race day.Â
"Last week we took it a bit easy to help recover coming off of our home meet where I thought we looked a bit flat. We are back into our normal rhythm now and I'm confident our energy levels will be back to normal by (meet day)," remarked the coach on his preparation plan.Â
The meet day in question will feature some of the highest levels of competition for the Bengals in any sport, as they are headed to Notre Dame, IN, to compete in the Joe Piane Invitational hosted by the town's eponymous campus, the Fighting Irish. The meet will take place on Friday, Oct. 4.
Such a high-profile competition demands only the best of talent, which is highlighted by the nearly 50 institutions set to compete in the race. These teams have been separated into six separate events, four main draws named after the host school's colors, and two open races between them.
If this were the octagon, the Bengals would be competing in one of the "main events" of the afternoon. Following the opening Blue Race, the Bengals will run in the Gold Race against high-profile opponents, including but not limited to: Akron, Cincinnati, Miami (OH), Vanderbilt, and Northern Illinois.Â
Coach Kughn sees right through a perceived discrepancy in talent based on popularity and is confident in his team's ability to show out regardless of the competition.
"There isn't a scenario where we should be mid to back of the pack just trying to hang on. We should be up front competing and trying to place as high as we can," stated the coach.
"This is our best chance to run really fast and make a name for ourselves in the Midwest."
THINGS TO KNOW
WHERE AND WHEN: Burke Golf/XC Course // University of Notre Dame // Friday, Oct. 4
RACE TIMES: Listed below in order (ISU assigned to Gold Races)
Women's Blue Race - 10:30am EST/8:30am MST
Men's Blue Race - 11:15am EST/9:15am MST
Women's Open Race - 12:00pm EST/10:00am MST
Men's Open Race - 12:45pm EST/10:45am MST
Women's Gold Race - 1:30pm EST/11:30am MST
Men's Gold Race - 2:15pm EST/12:15pm MST
Live Results Tracker
Course Maps (Updated)
Team Lists & Full Schedule
