Cross country teams begin season Saturday

Most students use Saturday to sleep late after a stressful week of class and homework. \nFor the IU men’s and women’s cross country teams, Saturday means getting up for an early-morning run at the Indiana Invitational, held on the IU cross country course.\nThe women’s run starts at 9 a.m., with IUPUI, Ball State and Michigan all in attendance. \nThis is a rebuilding year for the women’s team, since they return only one runner from last year’s top seven, IU coach Ron Helmer said. The team is confident despite being unsure what to expect. \n“We have had lots of roster changes,” senior Maura Ratcliff said. “Many people must be ready to fill the shoes of the departed (runners).” \nThe meet itself it is a friendly match without implications on postseason competition. \nJunior Kristina Trcka is still taking the meet seriously.\n“We need to use this meet as a gauge to see where we are after summer training,” Trcka said. \nThe men will run shortly after the women, starting at 9:30 a.m. against IUPUI. \nLike the women, the men are excited about opening the season.\n“This is just a workout to put our spikes on and get acclimated,” junior Brennon Plotner said. \nOpposite their female counterparts, however, the men’s squad opens its season with high expectations, returning six of its top seven runners, junior Timothy McLeod said.\n“We only lost one guy from our top seven,” McLeod said. “We are looking to improve on last year, and we have a really great group of guys.\nHelmer, in his first year at IU, sees different challenges when it comes to coaching two teams on opposite ends of the spectrum.\n“Both teams have separate, distinct challenges,” Helmer said. “The men have high expectations to live up to while the women have low expectations, but being a brand new team is hard.” \nLike his players, Helmer is not overlooking the value of this friendly meet.\n“Every meet is important,” Helmer said. “This weekend is preparation for championships and is important for experience.”