A Championship Course

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Central Michigan cross country team will get a first-hand look at some of its Mid-American Conference competition and the course on which it will compete at the MAC Championship when the Chippewas head to DeKalb, Ill. on Friday for the Northern Illinois Huskie Challenge.

Among the 12 teams in the field are MAC members Northern Illinois, Kent State, Toledo and Bowling Green. The women's race is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., while the men's race is set to begin at 6:45 p.m.

Championship Course Preview
CMU coach Jenny Swieton is most focused on having her runners take advantage of the opportunity to run on the course that will host the MAC Championships on Nov. 2.

"The most important thing for us in this meet is to see the course," Swieton said. "We're more concerned about just getting a lay of the land and figuring out what we need to do on that type of course."

The Chippewas opened the season last weekend with their annual Jeff Drenth Memorial 5K. A seven-day turnaround is unusual, Swieton said, but worth it to get a look at the NIU's North 40 Championship Cross Country Course.

"We normally wouldn't race two weekends back-to-back," she said. "We just wanted to make sure we got a look at the course before the MAC championship."

Objectives
In addition to getting a look at the course, the Chippewas are poised to hit their stride as they look to the meat of the season.

"The good thing about this week is we have a race under our belt," Swieton said. "So they're kind of back in race mode. The season has started, we're getting going.

"See the course, feel out the distance, test our fitness, and just take notes on what we need to do to be better prepared for our next meet and our next meet and the MAC Championship at the end."

A Step Up
The women will run a 6K and the men an 8K at NIU. The Drenth covered 5K.

"The (female) newbies, this'll be their first 6K ever," Swieton said. "An 8K, that's a big jump from the 5K (for the men). It's really good for them just to feel out that distance and see how they need to use their energy and when."

After easing into the season with a 5K, both CMU squads will take a step forward on Friday. Swieton said it's a crucial step before moving into the season's peak.

"That's pretty important across the board (for) men and women," she said. "The first time you take a shot at that championship distance."

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