Before the stretch drive of their seasons begin next week, the men's and women's cross country programs will host the ASU Invitational Friday evening at Kiwanis Park in Tempe.
Both teams will rest their top runners in this meet, as they are preparing for NCAA Pre-Nationals next Saturday followed by the Pac-10 Championships on Oct. 29, the West Regional on Nov. 12, and finally the NCAA Championships on Nov. 21.
However, there is still plenty on the line for the Sun Devils competing in this meet.
The No. 6 women's team hopes to extend their streak of individual winners this season to four consecutive meets.
Senior Amy Hastings won the Roy Griak Invitational two weeks ago after junior Jenna Wrieden won the season-opening George Kyte Invitational and sophomore Brooke Bennett captured the Dave Murray Invitational.
Bennett, Wrieden and freshman Angela Spadafino will lead the women in this meet.
"The women are good up front," coach Louie Quintana said. "I expect the women to be very competitive. Brooke and Angela are running very well."
Both Bennett and Spadafino ran at the Roy Griak - the only meet in which the Sun Devils have had their top runners compete to this point of the season - so they will both be looking to hang on to their spots in the top 10.
The men's team is looking to finalize its top 10, and they will use both this meet and next week's Canyon West Classic to fill out the remaining three spots.
Quintana said six men are competing for those final spots: senior Griffin Lee, juniors Jeremy Cramer and Kal Clark, and freshmen David Gott, Jack Mann and David Mehlhorn, all of whom competed at the Roy Griak because of injuries to seniors Velibor Radejovic, Roger Cahill and JJ Duke.
However, those three are now healed and will run at Pre-Nationals next weekend, so this meet will be important in determining the team's top 10 for the bigger meets to come.
"I'm looking forward to some performances from the men as they start to state their case for Pac-10 roster spots," Quintana said.
Today's meet will feature ASU, UA and several smaller schools and community colleges. The women will run 5,000 meters beginning at 4:45 p.m. followed by the men's 8,000-meter run that starts at 5:15 p.m.
Reach the reporter at matthew.storey@asu.edu.
