Cross Country Set for Joe Piane Invitational

Friday, September 28

South Bend, Ind.

12:00 P.M. CT

Baylor

Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational

Cross Country Set for Joe Piane Invitational

9/27/2018 12:14:00 PM | Cross Country

Women’s race begins at noon CT; men’s race will be at 3 p.m. CT.

WACO, Texas – After a three-week break from competition, the Baylor cross country teams are back in action Friday at the Joe Piane Invitational in Notre Dame, Ind.

"We've had a pretty good training block that's been a little bit of a grind," associate head coach Jon Capron said. "They are excited to not be training. I think once they get a sniff of fall, they are going to feel pretty good about their fitness. I don't know the full forecast, but I know it's going to be cooler than here. We're just excited to get somebody else to race other than ourselves, and just ready to compete."

The Joe Piane Invitational, which takes place at Burke Golf Course, begins at noon CT with the women's Blue Division 5K, which Baylor will be competing in.

"The ladies are going to go up against some of the better teams in the country right now," Capron said. "They're going to have their hands full, but I think we're going to be able to hold our own."

Competing for the Bears will be Alison Andrews-Paul, Sarah Antrich, Brooke Gilmore, Celia Holmes, Mazie Larsen, Hana Marsheck, Aaliyah Miller, Gabby Satterlee and Lindsay Walton.

"From the bottom all the way to the top, I'm looking for everyone to have a PR-type day," Capron said. "This course is fast, the cool weather is going to inspire some of us, and I really am expecting great performances – sub-18:00 5Ks out of mostly everyone. That's kind of exciting to be able to say, 'I think all of you have the ability to do this today.' Sub-18 is not going to do it for us as a team. But if my girls in the middle are running sub-18, then my girls up front are going to be running really fast, too."

A notable addition to the women's lineup is Miller, who last appeared in a cross country race for the Bears at the 2016 Big 12 Championship.

"(Aaliyah Miller) has been working with Coach Harbour, mostly," Capron said. "Based on some of her workouts, we dropped her into a workout Monday and she fit right in. She's kind of a new addition to our racing roster. She's been on the cross roster, but she might be a pretty helpful addition when you have a girl that has her ability level and her speed and applying that to a cross country race. As long as she has the fitness, and that's what Coach Harbour has been working with her on, there's no telling how much she can help us."

The Baylor men's team will hit the starting line at 3 p.m. CT in the men's Gold Division 5 mile.

"The guys should be in great shape," Capron said. "They're going to be in a different division than the ladies are, but I'm really excited about their opportunities to get a little confidence and work amongst a group they should be able to compete really well with."

Running for Baylor will be Matt Henderson, Henry Huff, Cal Johnston, Jeff Kirwin, Connor Laktasic, Jeremy Meadows, J.B. Sandlund and TJ Sugg.

"They talk about football guys getting ready to hit somebody other than their own team - It's a little like that," Capron said. "I don't rest them up very much when I know the next day we're just doing another workout. But when I know that we're going to put a Baylor jersey on, I take my foot off the gas and make sure they're feeling good because it's no fun to race when you're not feeling a little bit better. We're excited to go up there and race some new people, see some new faces and try to beat them and get after it."

For updates on Baylor's cross country team, follow @BaylorTrack on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.