Sept. 2, 2015
Weekly Notes
RENO, Nev. - Nevada Wolf Pack cross country opens up its season Friday night with a home meet at 8:30 p.m. in the ninth annual Nature's Bakery Nevada Twilight Classic.
The race, a 4000 meter run, will be held at Shadow Mountain Park in Sparks, next to Reed High School. For five on the Pack roster, the race is also a chance to compete in front of a hometown crowd.
"It's unlike anywhere else you race," said senior Erika Root, who graduated from Reno High in 2012. "Even if the fans don't know us personally, we're their team."
Senior Emily Myers logged the second-fastest 4K in school history at the Twilight Classic last year. Her time of 14:29 is just two seconds behind the school record, claimed by Samantha Diaz in 2012, also at the Classic. Friday's meet will be her last chance to take the top spot in the record book.
"Getting the 4K record would be amazing," Myers said. "Getting to do it in Reno, on a course I practice all the time, would make it even better."
"This is the most experienced team we've had in years," said head coach Kirk Elias, who is in his 11th season in the role. "We've only ever put three athletes under 15 minutes on this course at one time. I think we have a shot at four or five if conditions are right."
Other women's teams at the Classic this year include UNLV, UCLA, UC Riverside and Sierra Nevada College. The race is the first of four for the Pack before hosting the Mountain West Championships on Oct. 30 at Montreux Golf Course.
