Cross country preparing for Pac-10 championships

The Murray Keatinge Invitational in Orono, Maine, will be the Arizona cross country team's destination tomorrow.

It's a familiar course for the Wildcats, one where Skieresz set the course record last year with a time of 16 minutes, 33 seconds. She is the only person in the history of the course to finish in under 17 minutes, according to UA head coach Dave Murray.

While Skieresz is the favorite to take home the individual title, Murray is hoping for better showings out of his other runners than what they posted last weekend.

"Michigan will be there again," Murray said. "We believe that with everyone running well we can be right up there with them."

Last weekend the Wildcat men came in fourth, three spots behind the third-ranked Wolverines.

Junior Abdi Abdirahman, who won the first two meets of the season before finishing seventh in Montana in his last meet, is expected to lead the way again.

Murray believes that sophomore Micheil Jones, who had a disappointing showing last weekend, will rebound and finish stronger tomorrow.

"He just had one of those days," Murray said.

For the women's team, senior Virginia Camacho, the No. 2 runner, is trying to recover after being sick earlier this week.

The Wildcats will need stronger performances from sophomore Kristen Parrish, who finished 51st in Montana, and junior Katrin Engelen, who came in 50th, according to Murray.