Cross country teams will host meet with bids to Nationals at stake

Everything is on the line Saturday.\nIn previous meets this season, IU lived to see another day regardless of where they finished in the race. However, this weekend at the Great Lakes Regional Championships here in Bloomington, it will matter where the Hoosiers finish the race. They have to place in the top two if they hope to continue their season and advance to the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute next week. \nBoosting the Hoosiers’ chances of doing this is the fact that the meet is at home on the IU Cross Country Course.\nHowever, despite a home-course advantage, IU must be at their best, as they will contend with the nation’s top teams. \nOn the men’s side, the Hoosiers will face four nationally ranked teams: No. 4 Wisconsin, No. 22 Notre Dame, No. 23 Michigan and No. 30 Ohio State. The Hoosiers are unranked nationally, but are No. 5 in the Great Lakes Region. \nOn the women’s side, IU is unranked nationally and regionally, and must outrun three nationally-ranked team: No. 8 Michigan State, No. 9 Michigan and No. 23 Wisconsin. \nSophomore Jordan Kyle and freshman Cole Hardacre will lead the men’s squad. Kyle has been the best Hoosier in four of five events this season – including two wins – while Hardacre led the Hoosiers in the Big Ten Championships with a 14th-place finish.\nThe women will be led by sophomore Sarah Pease, who has been the best Hoosier in every race this season, and has a season-best finish of sixth. \nThe men’s race begins at 11 a.m. and will be 10 kilometers, while the women’s race begins at 12:15 p.m. and will be six kilometers.\nIf IU does not place in the top two as a team, they must wait until Sunday, when at-large teams are chosen.