Colorado State University Athletics
Cross country preview: Rams host CSU Classic Friday
9/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Sept. 16, 2009
By Andrew Woerpel
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The men's and women's cross country teams are back in action Friday, as Colorado State University hosts the third annual Colorado State Classic at Hughes Stadium.
Admission to the race is free and the public is encouraged to attend.
Coming off a tremendous start to the season, with each team claiming the overall victory at the Wyoming Invitational Sept. 4, both the men's and women's teams look to continue their success on their home ground.
Sophomore Ellie Rastall also looks to continue her dominance, as she is coming off a course record-breaking performance at the Wyoming Invitational, recording a time of 14 minutes, 30.30 seconds in the 4K race. She was selected as the Mountain West Conference women's cross country Athlete of the Week for her accomplishment.
Looking ahead to Friday's CSU Classic, Head Coach Bryan Berryhill would like to see both the men and women come out and run as cohesive units to prepare them for the bulk of the season ahead.
"We would like to come out and win both races," said Berryhill. "On the women's side we have to become more of a team and race more as a team because we did not race very well in Wyoming. On the men's side, in the last three or four years, I have yet to see them put back-to-back good races together, and that's what I want to see from the men. I want to see if we can finally become the consistent team that it requires to make it to nationals in the end."
In addition to Colorado State, Adams state, Air Force, Metro State, Northern Colorado and Garden City Community College will be competing.
Both the Adams State men and women teams are defending NCAA Division II national champions, with the women having won six straight national championships.
"This year is probably the best team they (Adams State) have had in a long time, and they have had some good teams." Berryhill explained. "I think this Adams State team is a top-five Division I team if you were to compare them to that."
In addition to the college men and women's races, the CSU Classic will also host a junior high 4K and a community race. The junior high race will begin at 4 p.m. with the community race beginning at 6:30. Those interested in participating should sign up on race day or contact Runners Roost here.
After the junior high race, the college races will get under way. The women's 5K race begins at 5 p.m., and the men's four-mile race will start at 5:45. The community race will follow the college races, giving the competitors the opportunity to test themselves on the same course as collegiate athletes.