Idaho cross country to go all-out against Big Sky opponents
There aren’t many chances to compete in a collegiate cross country season.
The Vandals have just four scheduled meets before the Big Sky Championships. So new Idaho coach Travis Floeck’s squad is out to take advantage of its first opportunity to test its speed against conference opponents Saturday at the Big Sky Tri-Meet in Portland, Oregon.
“The first meet we really almost approached it as a workout so this is really the first opportunity I’m going to say ‘Hey, let’s go race,'” Floeck said. “Still giving them race plans, but it’s an opportunity to race from the very beginning, race against a couple Big Sky opponents and then really assess our fitness too.”
The Vandals will compete against conference foes Eastern Washington and Portland State in the meet. In the preseason coaches poll, Idaho was picked to finish ahead of both teams on the men’s side while the team was picked to finish behind EWU and ahead of PSU on the women’s side.
“The first year in the Big Sky I think there’s a lot to learn,” Floeck said. “Cross country is an interesting sport in that there’s no win or loss record and teams will improve … so I think it is good to test the waters and see how we stack up. But this is the middle of September — a lot of things could change by November 1.”
Floeck said he still hasn’t made a decision on whether or not to run top returner Halie Raudenbush this season. Raudenbush will not compete in Portland, but could still compete later this season if needed, but Floeck is considering redshirting her this year.
In addition to all the Vandals that competed in the Clash of the Inland Northwest on Aug. 30, Floeck said Ally Ginther and Valerie Mitchell will compete this weekend. The pair came into the season with nagging injuries from summer training but are ready compete now, he said.
He said the course at Pier Park in Portland is a fair course that will offer a good gauge of where the team is at in its fitness. The course features a mixture of grass, dirt and rolling hills with a 2K and 3K loop.
Whether they win or lose, the teams competing this weekend might shape up differently by the time the Big Sky Championships roll around in November, Floeck said.
“I’d love to go down there and win on both sides, but we’ll see how that plays out,” he said. “I think the main thing is it’s a really good opportunity for them to be really competitive. I’m really excited to see them race because just that first meet they didn’t get out to get out there and really compete.”
Stephan Wiebe can be reached at [email protected]