LAKE CHARLES—The Northwestern State cross country teams earned a much-needed week off before running another meet to compete at a familiar course on the campus of McNeese for the Cowboy Stampede.

The women begin its race at 8:30 a.m. at the Enos Derbonne Sports Complex, while the men start at 9 a.m.

"Talking to the team, we all feel a little more comfortable running in the morning," head coach Payten Vidourek said. "We practice every day basically at 6 a.m., so it is something they're used to and nothing really changes.

"On top of that, the weather is probably the biggest thing. With it being 10 to 15 degrees cooler, it's going to affect how they race, big time."

In addition to NSU, other teams taking part in the meet are Louisiana Tech, Houston Christian and Rice (for the women only), as well as the host school McNeese.

The NSU cross country teams took a week off to re-set after facing tough competition in meets for three consecutive weeks to begin the season.

"It's nice to go to a place we're familiar with already," Vidourek said. "Our first meet of the season was at McNeese, so it will be nice to see some of the same competition we've ran against recently.

"I am looking forward to the fact that we had last week off and had a good training block this week and I am excited to see what these men and women can do."

John Klein, a fifth-year senior, continued his strong final season with the Demons last time out at the NSU Pre-SLC Meet. He placed 10th in the race full of Southland Conference members, clocking a personal-best 19:07.25 in the men's 6K, his third consecutive top 10 finish during the cross country season.

Andrew Kent is having a strong season for the Demons as a true freshman, including an eighth-place finish in his first trip to McNeese to begin his career, which he ran a 16:32.8 in the 5K. Kent has finished second, only to Klein, in all three races this season so far.

On the women's side, Lalaina Wood has been the standout for NSU, coming back in a big way after missing much of last season's cross country season due to injury.

After missing the first meet this season due to illness, all she has done is come back and post a pair of personal bests.

Last time out, she ran a 16:23.5 at the NSU Pre-SLC meet in the 4K and before that, she clocked a 20:52.9 in the 5K at the UT-Tyler Cross Country Opener.

"In this meet, we're looking for consistency," Vidourek said. "That was one of my biggest things going into the whole year. With every practice, day in and day out, let's be consistent. We've shown that and after a week off, it will show even stronger."

Following the meet, the teams take another break, as they next are in action at the Watson Cross Country Classic in Mississippi on Oct. 17, their final meet prior to the SLC Championships on Oct. 31.