The LSU cross country team looks to build off last week’s opening meet as they host the LSU Invitational at Highland Road Park on Saturday.
The Tigers placed eighth out of 11 teams last Saturday at the Mountain Dew Invitational, but the team displayed improvement from last season, with three different runners posting times better than what they ran at the Southeastern Conference Championships last season. This year’s SEC championships will be held on the same course as the one the Tigers competed on Saturday.
Junior runner Phillip Primeaux led the way for the Tigers with a 35th place finish, while junior William Wieslar followed up by nabbing 55th. Coach Khadevis Robinson saw aggresiveness in his runners in a race he called a measuring stick for the rest of the year.
“The first race I was just feeling everybody out,” Robinson said. “I just needed to see how they would compete, and I noticed I have some individuals who are willing to stick their neck out and run and compete.”
The Lady Tigers performed respectably, placing 10th despite sporting a roster full of youth. Sophomore Andria Aguilar shined finishing 20th overall, while freshman Jenna Walker finished second among the Lady Tigers and 71st overall in her first collegiate race.
The most important aspect to the Lady Tigers’ season will be putting in the total effort in practice, Robinson said.
The LSU Invitational has become a bright spot for the teams in recent years. Both teams have finished at least top five for five consecutive years, including wins for the Lady Tigers the last two years and a win for the Tigers in 2008.
With the meet in Baton Rouge, the Tigers and Lady Tigers went down to Highland Road Park on Wednesday to plan for the course. This foresight adds to the many advantages which come with hosting the race, Robinson said.
“The plus is [the runners] get to sleep in their own beds, they get to eat the same things they’re used to eating, they can drive the same route,” Robinson said. “That will help as far as not having to overthink things.”
Robinson finds this race to be another brick in the foundation he hopes to form with the program. He urged runners to think with a more competitive attitude, a trait he hopes his team will develop by the end of the year.
“Before the race they were just thinking I was crazy,” Robinson said. “And now they still think I’m crazy, but not as crazy as they thought I was. That is going to help them believe that they can do things they didn’t think they could do.”
The Lady Tigers will begin their race at 8:05 a.m., while the Tigers begin at 9:15 a.m.