No. 2 BYU women's cross country is scheduled to compete in the Pre-Nationals race on Friday, Oct. 16, at 8:00 a.m. MDT. The team will head to the LaVern Gibson Championship cross country course in Terre Haute, Ind., to take on the competition.
The Cougars are set to compete against No. 1 NC State and No. 7 Notre Dame. This marks the first time this year that BYU, the national runners-up, will go head-to-head against NC State, the reigning national champion. BYU enters the race following its second win of the season at the Cowboy Jamboree, which moved the team to the No. 2 spot on the USTFCCCA coaches' poll.
The team will receive its first look at the LaVern Gibson Championship cross country course, which is the same grass that will host the NCAA Championships in November. BYU will compete alongside 64 other women's teams during the event.
The roster for the event includes senior Jenna Hutchins, who previously placed third and fifth in the two opening meets of the season. She will be joined by Lexi Goff-Thompson, Nelah Roberts, Taylor Lovell, and Karrie Baloga, all of whom finished in the top 10 at the UVU Invitational and the Cowboy Jamboree. Veterans Vanessa Alder, Tessa Buswell, Emerald Kehr, Zariel Macchia, and Addie Meldrum will also compete, along with freshmen Lily Alder, Millie Bayles, Lilly Beshears, and Macy Wingard.
The Pre-Nationals event will be streamed on RunnerSpace. The women's 6k blue race is scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. MDT, while the women's 6k white race is scheduled to begin at 9:20 a.m. MDT.
