The SIU cross country team keeps running its way up to tougher competition.

SIU will send its men’s squad to the Indiana State Pre-National Meet Saturday, which will feature 26 of the top 30 teams in the nation, while the women will compete today at the Bradley Classic.

SIU coach Matt Sparks said he feels the meets throughout the season have given the Salukis the confidence they need to succeed in the upcoming races.

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“They have higher expectations for themselves when they go into meets like this,” Sparks said. “They put the work in all summer and throughout the fall so they should have the confidence to feel like they can compete with the top teams in the country.”

The men’s field includes teams ranked nationally at No. 2 through No. 8 – Wisconsin, Colorado, Iona, Stanford, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame and Alabama. The Salukis raced against Notre Dame in their last meet and finished 14th while Notre Dame took first.

The field also has a total of 79 teams and will include two 8K races. SIU will race in the 8K White Race, which is composed of 40 teams including Colorado, Stanford, Notre Dame and conference foe Indiana State.

Senior captain Kevin Doran said the team feels mentally prepared going into its second meet against nationally ranked teams.

“The previous race at Notre Dame gave us a good idea of what to expect,” Doran said. “I feel I have to just help the younger guys understand that it is OK to be nervous because it is a big meet. If you’re not nervous, you’re not human.”

Sparks said the team needs to get off to a quick start because the early pace of such meets can be chaotic. Junior Mohamed Mohamed will look to continue to lead the Salukis after coming off a 19th-place finish at Notre Dame with a time of 24:21 seconds in the 8k race.

The women, meanwhile, will face six conference opponents at the Bradley Classic, including regionally ranked No. 7 Wichita State and No. 13 Illinois State. SIU won last season’s Bradley Classic with five runners finishing in the top-10, including sophomore Nefeteri Williams.

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Williams said one of the challenges in the 6K race is that it is longer than the 5K the team regularly runs throughout the season.

“In these races we try to stick together as a team because it is a longer race,” Williams said. “It is important to begin at a comfortable pace in the beginning so you can catch up at the end.”

Sophomore A’Seret Dokubo joins Williams as a leading runner on the team. The duo has finished as the top two Salukis in every meet this season.

Dokubo said the leadership they bring on the course is important at Friday’s meet.

“I know coach tries to have the freshmen try and stick with us,” Dokubo said. “We try to remember from our experience last year and, even though we are only sophomores, it has worked so far.”

Daily Egyptian writer Jeff Engelhardt can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 238 or [email protected].