BYU Runners Prepare for Pre-national Invitational

The BYU men's and women's cross country teams will travel to Ames, Iowa, the site of the 2000 NCAA Cross Country National Championship, to compete in the Pre-national Invitational meet Saturday.

Returning to action after two weeks off from competition, the Cougar men will look to solidify their spot in the national rankings. BYU moved up one spot in the poll this week to take over the No. 8 position. The Cougars entered the rankings two weeks ago at No. 9, after placing third at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis. The meet featured nine teams that were ranked in the preseason top 25.

After taking one weekend off, the BYU women will also be returning to action in the Iowa meet. The Cougars won the Collegiate Division race at the Stanford Invitational on Sept. 30 in Palo Alto, Calif. The Invitational Division featured the top three women's teams in the country. No. 1 Stanford won the race, with the University of Washington surprising the field to take second. Kansas State, Wisconsin and Arkansas rounded out the top five for the race. With the strong showing, the Huskies moved up to No. 4 in the national poll. Since BYU beat Washington and Weber State earlier in the season at the BYU Triple Crown, the Cougars now sit in the No. 3 spot.