Running to the postseason

The+Cougar+women%E2%80%99s+cross+country+team+starts+the+Clash+of+the+Inland+Northwest+at+Mead+High+School%2C+Saturday%2C+Aug.+30%2C+2014.

The Cougar women’s cross country team starts the Clash of the Inland Northwest at Mead High School, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2014.

The Washington State cross country team will split its ranks on Friday and head to both the ISU Pre-Nationals Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana and the Inland Empire Challenge meet in Lewiston, Idaho.

A select group of men’s and women’s runners will run at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute. The course also serves as the host location for 2014 NCAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 22. Other Cougar runners will make the short trip south to Lewiston as they run in another local invitational.

The team travelling to Terre Haute features two of the Cougars’ top performers this season – redshirt senior Drew Jordan and senior Abby Regan. Jordan, the top Cougar runner at the Stanford Invitational on Sept. 27, helped lead the men’s team to a win in the 8-killometer race while by finishing eighth overall (23:51). Regan was the individual champion at the Stanford Invitational 6-killometer race (20:31).

In the week leading up to Pre-Nationals, Head Coach Wayne Phipps said he was looking forward to the opportunity.

“We’re still weathering the midseason storm of some minor aches and pains,” he expressed, “but we’re really ready… we can score a lot of points on the men’s side.”

In a meet that’s all about scoring points in anticipation of returning for the NCAA Championships, coaches and runners alike are gearing up for one of the biggest races of the season. Going into Pre-Nationals is “pivotal moving forward,” said Jordan.

“We’ve got to get some points,” said Jordan. “It just oozes excellence at this meet.”

On the men’s side, a solid Cougar team will join Jordan, according to Phipps. “The strength of our team is really our depth,” said Phipps.

Sophomore John Whelan looks to lead the men alongside Jordan. Whelan has been the second fastest Cougar runner behind Jordan at the team’s last two meets.

On the women’s side, Regan stressed the importance of the meet.

“Just being able to see a nationals course in America is such a high prestigious level,” said Regan.

On Saturday, the Cougar women will take the course in Terre Haute at 8 a.m., while the men hit the course at 8:35 a.m. The team travelling to Lewiston kicks its races off at 11 a.m. with the women’s 5-kilometer followed by the men’s 8-kilometer at 11:45 a.m. Team and individual results can be found at wsucougars.com after the races.