After a much needed two-week layoff, the cross country team is ready to hit the road again, and this time the road will lead them to Alabama to take part in the Auburn Invitational meet.

On top of the much needed rest the Falcons will look forward to mild Alabama weather and some tough competition.

“This is a fast course with quality competition, so I am expecting we will see some season and personal best times run this weekend,” coach Cami Wells said. “As in every meet, we will be focusing on every person getting the most out of themselves.”

The women’s team will at least get more runners trying to get the most out of themselves as the two week break has allowed for some of her veteran runners to rest up their ailments.

“As it worked out, the week off did allow Niki Suitor time to recover from her hamstring without missing anymore competitions,” Wells said. “She started normal practices [Monday] and picked up right where she left off. We also had a few nagging colds, but everyone is healthy at this time.”

On top of recovering from physical ailments, the team also needed to give their minds some much needed rest.

“Having the weekend off from competition gave the team a much needed mental break after five straight weeks of racing,” Wells said.

The team will need the rest as they will be met by staunch competition.

Wells is expecting a slew of big name schools ranging from the host Auburn to their Southeastern Conference rivals South Carolina, Louisiana State, Alabama and Vanderbilt. This is on top of several other teams in what will be Bowling Green’s largest meet to date this season.

“Last year there were 30 teams in the race,” she said. “We placed ninth last year with the women’s team and 18th last year with the men’s team. Our goal is to improve upon those places this year.”

After seeing her women’s team place third and her men’s team place sixth in the Sept. 26 Central Collegiate Championships, Wells is confident her teams are capable of attaining their goals by season’s end.

“I am happy with both teams’ progress up to this point and I’m excited to see what they can do in the next few weeks,” Wells said. “They have put in a lot of hard work and now is the time to collect on that hard work.”

The team will attempt to reap the benefits of their hard work this Friday starting at four in the warmer Alabama climate.