The UB cross country team continues to run like the wind, even through the frigid November weather.
The Bulls will send their top six men and top seven women, including star runner Jenny Koeppel, to the Northeast Regional this Saturday.
The race will take place in New York City, and it will showcase elite runners from over 30 different schools in the Northeast U.S.
Head Coach Vicki Mitchell is confident that her runners will have a great weekend.
"It has been a pretty low-key week of training," said Mitchell. "They need to take it easy during this rest week and maintain sharpness. They are very focused and ready to run."
Mitchell understands the high talent level her runners will be up against this weekend. She said the regional race always goes out fast, so the Bulls must run strong during the tough middle part of the race if they want to succeed.
"It is going to be important to stay competitive in the middle of the race if they are going to have the success they hope for," Mitchell said. "Everyone is very excited to give it all that they have. It should be a really exciting race."
On the men's side, junior Andy Wigton is coming off a slightly disappointing finish at the Mid-American Conference Championship. He was UB's fourth male finisher, helping to lead the Bulls to a seventh overall finish. Wigton's training week has been mild, as he looks to rebound at the regional meet.
"Basically I have been cutting down the workouts this week," said Wigton. "I really hope to make up for my last race, where I feel I could have done better. I am very excited for this race. All the best teams from the upper Northeast region are going to be there, so it should be a very tough race."
Senior Jenny Koeppel will likely lead a talented women's squad. Koeppel led the Buffalo women's team to its best MAC Championship finish ever, helping the team capture a fourth place finish. Koeppel also won the women's five-kilometer race to give the Bulls their first ever All-Conference first-team runner.
The Northeast Regionals are scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday in New York City.
