BATON ROUGE — LSU’s men’s and women’s cross country teams return to action Monday when they travel to The Plains for the annual Auburn Invitational.
The meet, which will take place at the Indian Pines Golf Course, will kickoff at 9:30 a.m. with the men’s 8K race. The women’s 5K run will follow at 10:30 a.m.
Competition will be the stiffest the Tigers and Lady Tigers have faced this season as over 20 teams from throughout the country are slated to run. Top teams from the region include SEC foes Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina and Vanderbilt, while Portland and Southern Miss highlight the non-conference field.
“In terms of sheer numbers this is going to be our first really big meet of the season,” said LSU cross country coach Mark Elliott. “Many of the schools from within our conference will also be there so I think this will give us a good indication of where we are as a team and what we might be capable of doing at the conference meet.”
Both the Tigers and Lady Tigers are coming off spectacular performances at their own LSU Invitational two weeks ago. Behind individual championships by seniors Jimmy Wiggins and Ruth Nanyinza, LSU swept the meet’s team titles.
Wiggins posted his best 8K time of the season (25:31.55) in the win and was named the SEC’s Male Athlete of the Week for his efforts. Nanyinza, running in her first cross country meet as a Lady Tiger, captured gold after completing the 6K course in 22:05.65.
The duo are once again expected the lead their respective squads in Auburn.
Following the Auburn Invitational, LSU will have a short five-day break before returning to action Oct. 16 at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Ark.