The MSU men’s and women’s cross country teams kick off their seasons with their first meet Saturday at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn.
Coach Steve Dudley and the men’s cross country team are gearing up for the season with high expectations.
After recently receiving their Southeastern Conference 10th-place preseason ranking, the men’s team is determined to prove that ranking wrong. The State men are aiming to finish in the top six in the SEC, which would be their highest finish in almost 20 years.
Leading the team this year will be seniors Travis McKay and Wade Martin.
Dudley also acquired some new talent with transfer student Ashenafi Arega and freshman Daniel Simpkins.
Dudley and his team are determined to have success, as this year marks the 10-year anniversary of when men’s cross country was stripped from MSU because of Title IX.
The team wants its season to be dedicated to the 1996 cross country team for the men who had its season taken away from them.
“The guys want to run each meet and each practice as if it is going to be their last,” Dudley said.
Coach Al Schmidt and the girls’ cross country team also are setting their goals high for this season.
They have finished in the top half of the SEC two out of the last three years and are setting their sights to finish in the top three.
“I feel like this is the best team I’ve coached,” Schmidt said.
Jennifer McPherson, who has been SEC Champion and qualified for NCAA Regionals three times, leads the team this season. Joy Griffith, a senior, is also anticipated to rejoin the team once she recovers from mono.
Michelle Corrigan, a sophomore who is coming off an excellent freshmen year in cross country, is also expected to be a threat.
The cross country teams follow Saturday’s meet at the University of the South with a meet at Alabama Sept. 15. They will also have a meet at Arkansas Oct. 14.
“These meets are really important because we get to face most of the other teams in the SEC,” McKay said.
The cross country teams also compete in the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Ind., on Sept. 29.
This is easily their toughest event leading up to the SEC Championships and pits them against many teams they will face in the NCAA Regionals.
The SEC Championships will be held on Oct. 28 in Baton Rouge, La., at LSU.
The MSU cross country teams will then end their season with the NCAA Regionals hosted by Tennessee. Those athletes who qualify for the NCAA Championships will compete on Nov. 20 in Terre Haute, Ind.