Regionally ranked for the first time this season, the LSU women’s cross country team will put its new standing to the test Saturday at the McNeese Cowboy Stampede.
Fresh off a first-place finish in its own invitational on Saturday, the LSU women — now No. 11 in the South Central Region — will square off against No. 14 McNeese State.
“I thought this year we would have a good nucleus of girls if they put in the work, and last week showed that,” said LSU coach Mark Elliott. “Hopefully it will continue, but it is still early.”
Elliott said the level of competition the Tigers will face on Saturday will be similar to opponents they’ve already faced.
LSU is familiar with Saturday’s course at Enos Darbonne Recreation Complex. The Lady Tigers have competed on the course for three straight seasons, and Elliott said he expects the women to do well at a location they know.
Last season the Lady Tigers finished third at the Stampede, and three of their top four performers from last season are returning for another shot at the course.
“The course [won’t be] very difficult, but the competition is good so the race kind of serves two purposes,” Elliott said.
For the men, the Stampede offers an opportunity for the Tigers to get back on track after falling to Lamar at home last week.
The Tigers are nursing the growing pains of a young team with only two upperclassmen in senior Roger Cooke and junior Daniel Nally.
Cooke was only one of two Tigers to place in the top 10 of last Saturday’s LSU Invitational, but he said the Tigers are improving every week.
“With every race comes more experience,” Cooke said. “Everybody is just trying to get into the flow of things, and I think this race coming up will be a good test for us heading into the heart of our season.”
