By
Francisco Merced
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wildcats one of 64 teams competing in pre-NCAAs
As a part of a field that spans from No. 2 Stanford to No. 14 Arizona State, the 10th-ranked UA men's cross country team will face the toughest competition of the year tomorrow at the Pre-NCAA Invitational in Ames, Iowa.
Running on the course that will host this year's NCAA championship, Arizona faces competition that may resemble the championship race at the end of the season.
Another aspect that will play an important factor will be the size of the race - more than 60 teams will participate.
"This is probably the biggest meet, size-wise, that I have ever been involved in," UA head coach Dave Murray said.
Aptly named the Pre-NCAA Invitational, Murray anticipates the strong competition from the extraordinarily large field.
"With this size of a field there is no question that the better teams in the country will be there," Murray said. "This field could be as strong as the national championships."
Having a crowded field with twice the number of competitors may pose early problems for the Wildcat runners not accustomed to the size of the race.
Junior Mike Cramer expects a lot of pushing and shoving throughout the race.
"Half the race is going to be running through people at the start (and) who can get out without killing themselves," Cramer said.
Another change for this weekend's race will be the distance being upped from the usual 8000 meters to 10,000m.
"This will be the first time we run 10,000m and that could be a factor," Murray said.
The one constant for the Wildcats this season has been the successful team finishes posted in every meet so far. Murray anticipates another good performance from his runners this weekend.
"I think if both (men's and women's) teams finish in the top 10, that would be considered a great finish on our part," Murray said.
Eight of the top-15 ranked teams will be participating in the meet tomorrow. This will include both of UA's in-state rivals - No. 11 Northern Arizona and ASU.
Coming at the mid-mark of the season for the Wildcats, the invitational will provide a good progress report for Arizona as they enter the second half of the season.
"This weekend is important for us so we can see where we are in the nation," said Cramer. "This is going to be twice the size of nationals."
