CLINTON, MS – The "Choctaw Trails" will serve as the regular season finale for the Northwestern State cross country teams on Saturday, Oct. 15, in Clinton, MS.
The Demons and Lady Demons will both be fielding full squads in a packed 25-team field.
On the men's side, the Demons are sending eight athletes:
Anson Ballow,
Grant Butts,
Tyler Corwin,
Dylan Dunford,
Jacob Dahlhoff,
Jacob Hammons, Tony Renteria, and Josh Wilkins.
The men's race format features their first 8k of the season, and first-year head coach
Chris Sauer thinks the "Choctaw Trails" will serve as a good primer for the Southland Conference Championships.
"This distance will be a big step for them, Sauer said. "I want the men's team focused on starting smart and racing hard over the last 5k."
Last year's top-performer, Josh Wilkins, is coming off a second-overall finish in the McNeese Stampede two weeks ago, and Sauer is expecting him to use the "Choctaw Trails" as a way to prepare for the conference championships.
"Josh will be looking to place, and he is treating this like a simulation for conference," Sauer said. "We are trying to see how he will want to tackle the 8k distance that he will see in two weeks at the Southland Conference Championships."
On the women's side, the Lady Demons are sending six athletes:
Dominitra Charles,
Sydney Cowgill,
Emily Heard,
Erin Sitarz,
Emily Sitarz, and
Erin Wrozek.
The trip to Clinton marks the first time junior
Jacqueline Rushford, last year's top performer, will be able to compete since injuring her ankle before the season opener.
"Getting Jacqueline back means a lot to the team, but it means the most to Erin Wrotez," Sauer said. "They work so well together, so I am looking forward to seeing them get that chemistry again."
The women's 5k-race format is similar to what they've competed in all year, but the size of the field is what caught Sauer's attention.
"This will be a much larger field than they've raced against this season," Sauer said.
"I think they're now at the point in the season where they feel like they can focus more on racing the field as opposed to chasing times."
Following the "Choctaw Trails", Northwestern State cross country will resume action on Friday, Oct. 28. when they travel to Nacogdoches, TX. for the Southland Conference Championships held in the Walter P. Ledet Track Complex.
