With the Pre-NCAA meet just ahead on Saturday Sept. 27, the Geneseo Knights men’s and women’s cross country teams are getting ready to head to Mason, Ohio. The Knights will face some of the stiffest competition they will face all year. Coming off a meet that the Knights were treating as practice, the teams should both be prepared for what is ahead of them. While both the men’s and women’s teams raced on Saturday Sept. 20, they treated it as more of a practice run, with the Knights going easier for the first few miles and then hard for the home stretch. Even with the teams not going full force at this meet, both managed to end up with top-five finishes, a good sign for upcoming meets.
The Pre-NCAAs are a precursor to the actual NCAA meet in November. It’s important that Geneseo can perform to its full potential.
“Some of the best teams in the country are going to be there and [the Knights] know that they belong, and I think that they’re excited to go,” said head coach Mike Woods.
With 30 teams competing and hundreds of racers, this meet is going to be a real test for Geneseo that the team must be prepared to take.
While the Pre-NCAAs are the teams’ main concern this weekend, some of the team will be traveling to Rochester to compete in the Harry F. Anderson Invitational. 30 teams will also be going to this meet, meaning there will be some stiff competition. It will be difficult to continue the excellent record that the Knights have maintained throughout the season so far. Luckily, the team has had a decent amount of time off from their last meets.
“That was by design,” said Woods. “I didn’t want to race three hard races in a row. Actually four, because we have the Geneseo Invitational coming up, so I just wanted to give my guys a break.”
The Geneseo men’s and women’s cross country teams really have to buckle down and put their noses to the grindstone. The competition in Ohio will be no joke, and according to Woods, the Knights are prepared to do whatever it takes to win this meet.