This weekend’s meet will be the first opportunity for the cross country teams to earn points toward an at-large bid for nationals.

On Saturday, both teams will participate in the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis. Thirty Division I men’s cross country teams and 27 Division I women’s cross country teams are expected at the meet. Of those teams, four Big 12 schools will be represented: Baylor, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas Tech.

“This is going to be one of the biggest invites we go to this year,” said men’s head coach Corey Ihmels. “We are going to get a good idea of where we stand against this high level of competition. Also, you always judge yourself against the Big 12.”

The Cyclone women have a talented but young roster.

“This will be a great experience for our freshmen, since this will be their first big college meet they have been in,” said women’s head coach Dick Lee. “This [meet] will give us an idea of what the other teams are like.”

Despite the abundance of top quality teams running at the Roy Griak Invitational, both coaches have high expectations for their squads.

“I think that last year we finished 23rd out of 24 teams, so we expect to have a better showing,” Ihmels said. “If we can be in the top 10 to 15 teams, that will be a great run. If we finish between the top 10 to 15 teams, then we will have beaten some ranked teams. We need things to go right for us, though.”

The women’s team hopes for a similar finish, Lee said.

“As young as we are, a finish in the upper half of the field would be great,” Lee said. “We continue to improve and we are going to use this [meet] as a stepping stone.”

A few Minnesota natives fill out the Cyclone roster. Corey Ylinen comes from Eden Prairie, a suburb of Minneapolis.

“It is going to mean a lot, seeing the guys that I ran against and ran with,” Ylinen said. “My home is 15 miles away, so I will have a lot of people there cheering me on. I have run the course the last two years, and hopefully I will redeem myself.”

Redshirt freshman Kyle Rasmussen is from Owatonna, Minn.

“I’m pumped to be going back home to run,” Rasmussen said.

Both Minnesota natives hope to gain a lot from the meet.

“This is the first meet that puts points towards an at-large bid to get to nationals,” Ylinen said. “We hope to put up a good performance and gain confidence as a team.”

Rasmussen said he wants to gain more consistency in his 8-kilometer run.

“This meet will give me a better idea of what [time] I can run for the 8-K,” Rasmussen said.

Senior Jessica Huff said she has expectations for her performance in the 6-kilometer run.

“I will be conservative at first and then hopefully move up the chain,” Huff said, explaining her racing style.

Huff, an NCAA qualifier last season, said she doesn’t take an active role in relating her experiences to the Cyclones’ younger runners.

“I don’t really notice [the leadership role],” she said. “Hopefully, the freshmen will see how I practice and see what I have been through with all of my experience, and use me as an example.”

Both Ihmels and Lee are very satisfied with their teams’ accomplishments so far this fall.

“We have a group of eight to 10 guys that have trained well and are fully prepared,” Ihmels said. “They came into the fall practices fully prepared. They have been training hard.”

Lee said the meet will be an opportunity to turn practice into results.

“Our kids have been working really hard, especially as a group,” Lee said. “Our team chemistry has been very positive.”