FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The Northern Arizona University cross country teams will look to finish off the regular season strong this Friday when they travel to Tempe, Ariz., to compete in the Arizona State Invitational.  

The Sun Devil Invite marks the last race the Lumberjacks will compete in before heading to Cedar City, Utah, for Big Sky Conference Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31.

"We would get to race eight at the conference championships, so basically these guys are running for a chance to get onto that conference championship team next week," said Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Eric Heins. "We just want to go down and be as competitive as we can. I think they're all really motivated and excited about [this invite]."

The Lumberjacks returned this week from Madison, Wis., after competing in the adidas Invitational last Friday. The NAU men placed 30th overall, while the women earned a 21st-place finish.

This weekend, the line-up shakes out differently for both squads, as the men will travel with freshmen Ryan Wolff, Makai Clemons, Jackson Crose, Kyle Havriliak, Sebastian Kwit and Christian Cucuta.

The women's side will also bring some fresh faces to Tempe, with junior Melanie Zibrat, redshirt freshman Maggie Carruth and freshmen Miranda Myers, Caitlin Heldt, Savannah Gaffney, Jesse Williams and Natalie Cox representing the Lumberjacks.

"This group, I'm looking for them to compete at this race," said assistant coach Leah Rosenfeld. "I would like to see them get aggressive and really race, and whatever happens, happens. But if they're competitive, it'll be a solid day for them all around."

On the men's side, the Lumberjacks will look to Crose and Kwit for solid showings if they are to achieve a first-place team finish. Crose notched a 15th-place finish overall in his first collegiate race, while Kwit was right behind him at 25th.

"I think, time-wise, they should improve at this invite," said Heins. "Also, competitively, we want to see if we can get some of our guys up in the top-10 and maybe have someone battle for an individual title. We're going into it with high expectations."

For the women, Myers is one of the runners to highlight in this race. The freshman from California is coming off a 34th-place finish at her first national meet, the Cowboy Jamboree, and has looked impressive throughout the 2015 season. Gaffney also has a pair of top-30 finishes in her young collegiate career, and will certainly look to make an impact this weekend.

The ASU Invite is slated for a 4:20 MST start time Friday with the women's three-mile run. The men's four-mile run will follow at 5 p.m. MST.

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