The Drake University cross country teams are set to compete against some of the top teams in the nation on Saturday, Oct. 15, when they compete at the adidas Pre-National Invitational.
The adidas Pre-National Invitational is an annual preview of the NCAA Championship course for the best men's and women's collegiate cross country runners in the nation. Nearly 70 collegiate teams are scheduled to race at the Lavern Gibson National Championship Cross Country Course with the women running a 6k at 12:15 p.m. followed by an 8k for the men at 12:50 p.m.
Both of Drake's teams will be competing in the 'White' races with the women racing against eight regionally ranked teams.
The Bulldogs last competed at the adidas Pre-National Invitational two years with the men turning in one of their top performances of the season as they finished second in their 28-team race. The Bulldogs, were just six points away from claiming the team title from Indiana with Brogan Austin finishing fourth while
Rob McCann was 10
th. While both have since graduated,
Reed Fischer (Minnetonka, Minn.) was 28
th that day and with two additional years of training and experience is primed for another strong race against a deep field.
This season, Fischer has led the Bulldogs in every race he has competed in this season and recently finished sixth at the Chile Pepper Invitational with an 8k time of 23:53.25.
Drake's women will be competing in their second 6k of the season and their first since Sept. 9.
Bailee Cofer (Overland Park, Kan.) has led a young roster all season, finishing as the top Bulldog in every race this season. In her last 6k, she finished 18
th overall at the Oz Memorial with a 23:34.6 finish. Two weekends ago, she was 25
th at the Chile Pepper Invitational.
In addition to giving the Bulldogs another race against a talent and deep field, the adidas Pre-National Invitational will also be the Bulldogs final tune-up before the Missouri Valley Conference Championship on Oct. 29.
