HOUSTON – LSU’s men’s and women’s cross country teams are set to compete in the Rice Invitational on Friday evening. The meet will be both the men’s and women’s second meet of the 2016 season, and it will be held in Houston, Texas, at the Rice Intramural Fields.
The women will begin first as they are scheduled to start at 6:15 p.m. CT with the men following shortly after at 6:45 p.m. CT.
The Tigers and Lady Tigers will be competing against 13 other schools, most notably host Rice, Stephen F. Austin, Houston, and McNeese St. who were all ranked in the top 15 of the USTFCCCA South Central Region Preseason Poll for both their men’s and women’s teams.
The Tigers along with the Lady Tigers are both looking to build upon solid starts to their seasons after competing in the McNeese State Relays last Friday.
Sophomore Erika Lewis and freshman Ruby Stauber placed first, while senior Ashley Welborn and sophomore Hannah Bourque finished second overall in the women’s 6k race last week.
For the Tigers, the pair of senior Blair Henderson and sophomore Dajour Braxton combined for a second-place finish in the men’s 8k competition.
Head Coach Khadevis Robinson sees this meet as more of a challenge for both of his teams.
“My goal for this meet is to see how everyone responds to the competition,” Robinson said. “It’s really important to find out who will step up and fight for their teammates.”
After finishing up in Houston, the Tigers and Lady Tigers will head home to Baton Rouge where they will host the LSU Invitational at Highland Rd. Park on Sept. 17. The Lady Tigers will kick-off the home meet at 7:30 a.m. CT with the men following at 8:10 a.m. CT. The women will run the 4k course as the men will be running the 6k course.
For the latest information on LSU’s men’s and women’s cross country teams, fans can follow the Tigers and Lady Tigers on Twitter @LSUTrackField and on Facebook by liking LSU Track & Field.