PROVO, Utah – Tenth-ranked BYU men’s cross country faces a field of ranked foes this Friday at the Notre Dame Invitational.
“This is an important meet for us,” head coach Ed Eyestone said. “In terms of picking up at-large points and measuring how we’re competing, it’s huge.”
After winning their first two meets, the Cougars will test their caliber against ranked opponents New Mexico (15th), North Carolina State (16th), Tulsa (18th), Michigan (19th), Princeton (20th), Eastern Kentucky (23rd) and Florida State (24th). Tulsa and Princeton finished second and third, respectively, at last year’s Notre Dame Invitational.
In 2011, the last time BYU’s men’s team participated in the Notre Dame Invitational, the Cougars won the meet. Former BYU cross country runner Miles Batty finished first overall. Conner Peloquin and Steve Flint are the only members of the current team who ran at the 2011 meet. Peloquin finished sixth for the Cougars, and 45th overall.
In a year that Eyestone said was supposed to be a rebuilding year, BYU comes into the meet as the top-ranked team in a large field, garnering the No. 10 ranking from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association for the third week in a row. Jonathan Nelson, Spencer Gardner, Connor McMillan and Peloquin have emerged as the Cougars’ top runners this season, each having finished in the top three for BYU in at least one of the first two meets.
“I like our team,” Eyestone said. “I like our depth and leadership. I like our young guys. Hopefully we can keep moving forward to have a finish like last season’s.”
The men’s five-mile race will take place at 5 p.m. EST at Notre Dame Golf Course in South Bend, Indiana.