ASU's cross country teams will participate in two meets Saturday in their final competitions before the Pac-10 Championships at the end of the month.
The top runners from each team will venture to Terre Haute, Ind., for the NCAA Pre-National Meet, running the course that will host the NCAA Championships Nov. 21, while the "B" squads will run at the Canyon West Classic at Tempe Kiwanis Park.
The women, ranked No. 6 in the nation, will run its top team for the second time this season at the Pre-Nationals. The previous time its top runners have run, they won the Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota.
Senior Amy Hastings also captured the individual title at the Invitational for her fifth career win, breaking the school record for wins in the process, and this meet will serve as her final tuneup before she defends her Pac-10 title Oct. 29.
Hastings and Anna Masinelli will lead the women at the Pre-Nationals, but their usual No. 3 runner, senior Victoria Jackson, has a prior academic commitment and will run at the Canyon West Classic instead, so others will have to step up.
"The women are still lining up a great group, so our expectations remain high," coach Louie Quintana said. "Our 3-7 pack are ready to run very, very fast. They just need to have the confidence and faith in themselves that they are ready to do it."
This will also be the first time the women compete against Stanford, who has a nine-year reign at the top of the Pac-10. ASU hopes to end that reign this season.
The men's team ran their top squad at the Roy Griak Invitational, as well, but they finished ninth without seniors Velibor Radejovic, Roger Cahill and JJ Duke, who were all out with injuries.
"It will be nice for our men's varsity to finally toe the line for the first time together this weekend," Quintana said.
Seniors Casey Burchill and Ryan Warrenburg will again be looked upon to lead the men as they did at the invitational. Quintana is excited to see them run at this meet, and he is anxious to see how Duke, Cahill and Radejovice perform in their first competition of the season.
"I feel Ryan and Casey are ready for a big race this weekend, and it will be interesting to see where JJ, Roger and Veli are at fitness-wise," Quintana said.
Final spots for the Pac-10 rosters will likely be decided at the Canyon West Classic. For the men, the core of the "B" team that has two victories this season, senior Griffin Lee, junior Jeremy Cramer and freshmen David Gott, Jack Mann and David Mehlhorn, are competing for those final two spots.
The women's team at the Canyon West Classic will be led by Jackson, junior Jenna Wrieden, who won the George Kyte Invitational, and freshman Angela Spadafino, who finished second at last week's ASU Invitational.
Reach the reporter at matthew.storey@asu.edu.
