The most important weekend on the collegiate cross country calendar for teams with NCAA aspirations undoubtably falls in mid-October, as nearly every ranked squad across the country travels to either the Wisconsin Invitational or Pre-Nats to face the best competition outside of Nationals. This time of year is particularly critical for those squads who are unlikely to earn an auto bid by finishing top two at Regionals, as a majority of the at-large points are won at these two meets.   

 

While Pre-Nats offers a chance to preview the championship course in Louisville and a glimpse at two of the most storied programs in NCAA history, Colorado and Oregon, there is little question as to which meet owns the title as the greatest regular season clash of them all. This year’s adidas Wisconsin Invite features 15 of the top 25 ranked men’s teams, and a ridiculous 18 of the top 25 on the women’s side. 

 

This, of course, should come as little surprise to anyone that’s witnessed this meet grow into the behemoth its become in its six years of existence. Since Wisco exploded in popularity in 2011, 65% of the men’s and women’s NCAA fields have competed at this meet annually. Last year alone, 19 of the 31 men’s teams at NCAAs ran at Wisco, with 24 of the 31 NCAA squads on the women’s side coming from this meet, the most in history. Suffice to say, this race is a pretty big deal. 

 

Like any other year, there are certain squads that will arrive in Madison with a little extra pressure to get the job done on Friday so they can lock down an NCAA bid. We’re looking at four teams, two on each side, that need to have a good performance in Wisconsin to keep their seasons on track and avoid the dreaded waiting game post-Regionals. Some of these teams are sure to surprise you with their mentioning in this article, including two podium teams from a year ago.

 

Portland Men

Less than one year after recording their highest finish in school history at NCAAs, the #20 Portland Pilots are in danger of missing Nationals altogether unless their top runners can get healthy in time for the critical portion of the season. And with just a quick check of the schedule… yep, the time is now for last year’s third place team at NCAAs. 

 

Rob Connor’s crew was already hurting after losing four seniors to graduation, but with their recent seventh place finish at the UW Invite, the Pilots need a big day in Madison on Friday to avoid an auto-or-bust scenario at the brutal West regional. 

 

Sure, Portland ran without three of their top seven in Seattle two weeks ago, as Robert Krebs, Danny Martinez, and Chris Enriquez were nursing injuries, which makes their placing at UW matter little. What does matter, however, is the current health of those three, as this team minus that trio is downright average. We believe all three will be ready in time to go at Wisco, but each athlete’s level of fitness remains a mystery. 

 

What we do know is that Portland’s presumed #1, Timo Goehler, did not have a good day in his last outing at Washington. The senior Goehler, who turned in a huge day at NCAAs last fall with his 44th place finish (3rd man for UP), was only 42nd at UW and just the Pilots #4 man. The jury is still out on whether or not this should be a cause for concern, as Goehler was only 32nd at Washington in 2014, with a slower finishing time. He didn’t have a good day at Wisconsin last season either (111th), but this team was deep enough in 2014 for him to only turn it on at the end. That doesn’t appear to be the case in 2015. 

 

William & Mary Women

Even though the Tribe of William & Mary return six of their top seven from 2014 and are the defending Southeast regional champions, there’s no doubt that Friday’s race in Wisconsin will take on extra importance for the 2015 crew. 

 

The 2014 squad placed a lowly 27th at Wisconsin, but that was largely because W&M ran without All-American Emily Stites and had four freshmen in their lineup. By the time Regionals rolled around, the Tribe became a different beast- Stites returned, freshman Regan Rome stepped up big time, and Carolyn Hennessey finished 2nd to lead the team to the Southeast title. While this team has the potential to save their best for that part of the season again, their poor showing at the Princeton Inter-Regional two weekends ago suggests that the Tribe might struggle to earn an auto bid to NCAAs in 2015. 

 

There, William & Mary impressed by sweeping the top two places with Rome and Stites going 1-2, however Hennessey, who is “still working into her full fitness,” per the team’s athletic page, was all the way back in 59th, 1:36 behind Rome and Stites. With sophomore Molly Breidenbaugh a place behind Hennessey and the Tribe’s 5th scorer, the pre-season #13 team finished sixth, 49 points behind a Megan Curham-less Princeton squad and 39 points behind runner-up North Carolina, who just so happens to also compete in the Southeast region. 

 

It’s hard to draw too much from early season meets like these, but given how strong Regional counterparts N.C. State (#8 Flo50) and Virginia (#13 Flo50) have been to start 2015, the Tribe can’t rest on their laurels. For a team that returns almost everyone from their 17th place team at NCAAs last fall, William & Mary should be talented enough to lock down their spot at Nationals on Friday. However, another performance like their last outing could leave them in serious hot water. 

 

Eastern Kentucky Men

Without their top runner, Amos Kosgey, competing, Eastern Kentucky managed just a sixth place finish at Greater Louisville two weekends ago, which likely will result in just one point towards NCAAs as the Colonels picked up a cheap one off the infamous Wisconsin Badgers. Sure, they weren’t likely to finish any higher than fifth considering the quality of the top four teams there, but losing to fellow bubble squad Illinois was certainly not a desired outcome. 

 

EKU desperately needs to have Kosgey back and on his game (28th at Wisco last year) this time around, as the Colonels were the last team in to NCAAs in 2014. Without him on point in Madison, this team is likely to enjoy NCAAs from home for the first time in five seasons. 

 

We’re not sure why Kosgey hasn’t run yet, as EKU has been mum on his health, but his impact is undeniable. The Kenyan was sixth at the deep Notre Dame Invite in 2014 and 10th in the Southeast Regional later that year, which helped the Colonels finish fourth in that loaded region. EKU nabbed their three Kolas points at Notre Dame in 2014, which they couldn’t duplicate at Greater Louisville this year. That spells trouble in River City. 

 

They face a tougher go at Regionals in 2015 even with Kosgey on his game, as seventh-ranked Virginia, #18 Louisville, and #21 N.C. State are all greatly improved, and unlikely to wilt in November. That means EKU has to get the job done on Friday. 

 

Michigan State Women

Ok, let’s make this clear: the defending NCAA champions are not in danger of missing Nationals this year, but they do need a good race in Wisconsin to change the trajectory of their season. 

 

The Spartans dominated this race in 2014, as they did every other one they contested, but the drop off after losing three seniors to graduation has been significant as State dearly misses the production of All-Americans Leah O’Connor and Julia Otwell. To add insult to injury (literally), Sparty has been without All-American Lindsay Clark and key contributor Katie Landwehr up to this point in the season as they recover from pre-season ailments. Without those two, MSU was a shell of their potential self at Griak three weeks ago, placing a distant 2nd to an upstart Boise State squad. 

 

If Clark and Landwehr can go in Wisco, this team is likely better than their current #10 ranking. Junior Rachele Schulist, despite a slight off day at Griak (5th), is still a contender for an individual NCAA title, and she enters this race as the top returner from 2014 after placing 2nd last year. Expect Schulist to be much better here than she was at Griak since she has gradually improved each race in her last two cross country seasons.  

 

Clark’s health is the X-Factor for the Spartans. After an impressive 14th place finish at Wisco a year ago, the then-junior was 11th at NCAAs just one year after placing 71st at Nationals. Her presence gives State two potential top ten girls, which could ultimately be enough to get this team back on the podium. That’s the best case scenario, with the alternative being a team that isn’t likely to crack the top 15 in Louisville.