BATON ROUGE — The LSU men’s and women’s cross country teams open the 2006 season this Saturday when they travel to Albuquerque, N.M., for the Lobo Invitational.
Collegiate action from the UNM North Golf Curse will begin at 9:40 a.m. with the men’s 8K race. The women’s 6K run will follow at 10:10 a.m.
13 teams are slated to run this weekend as Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UTEP, host New Mexico and New Mexico State highlight the field.
With official practice beginning just two weeks ago along with the start of the school year, LSU cross country coach Mark Elliott expects this meet to serve as an early season barometer for both squads.
“It’s kind of unusual to be competing just two weeks after the official start of training, but the athletes have had a summer training program to follow so this should give us a good idea of who is ready to contribute and who isn’t,” said Elliott.
The Tigers, who are expected to be led by senior Drew Haro, junior Michael Hendry and sophomore Jake Simmons this season, will depend on Hendry to led the squad on Saturday as Haro and Simmons will open their seasons at the LSU Invitational on Sept. 23.
Hendry, a Baton Rouge native, scored for the Tigers in four of their five meets a year ago, including the NCAA South Central Regional Championships.
With Haro and Simmons delaying their season debuts, it opens up some extra spots for the Tiger newcomers looking to make their marks.
One freshman expected to make an immediate splash is Pineville, La., native Alan Sticker. Sticker comes to LSU as a Louisiana 4A state champion in both cross country and track and field.
“With the group we have and the competition in this meet I anticipate that the men will do fairly well,” said Elliott. “The women are a young group and this weekend should provide them with some good experience.”
The Lady Tigers are expected to be led by juniors Rachel Graham, Katie Dawson and Lindsay Day. Graham finished as LSU’s No. 2 or No. 3 runner in four of five races last year, while Dawson and Day were valuable scorers for the Lady Tigers throughout the season.
Others to watch for on the women’s side include juniors Christy Zirkle and Megan Broussard. Zirkle scored for the Lady Tigers at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships a year ago and Broussard gained valuable experience at the conference championships.
Following the Lobo Invitational, the Tigers and Lady Tigers will take a weekend off before returning to action at their own LSU Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 23 at Highland Road Park.