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Team hopes to make statement Friday

As ACC championships approach, Virginia squads look to gauge strengh in Panorama Farms Invitational

The Virginia cross country team will play host to nine strong opponents Friday afternoon at the Panorama Farms Invitational. The meet will give the Cavaliers a chance to learn where they stand heading into the ACC Championships, which will take place Oct. 31.

"I think just being at home is an opportunity for us to show our community what type of team we have, and then to host some outstanding universities, for us it is a privilege," Virginia coach Jason Vigilante said. "We want to run as well as we can and put on the best show that we can."

The Cavaliers have already managed to put on a show this season - both the men's and women's teams are undefeated after dominating their first two meets. This weekend's increased level of competition, however, will provide a more challenging test for the Cavaliers.

"The teams we have coming - Villanova, Syracuse, Duke, Texas A&M - they all feel good about where their squads are," Vigilante said.

And they have reason to feel that way. The Villanova women's team is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation, and the men's team cracks the top 25 as well at No. 24. The No. 11 Syracuse men's team will be the highest ranked men's team at the meet. Duke, which figures to be one of the top contenders at the ACC Championships, fields the No. 26 men's team and the No. 14 women's team.

For the No. 15 Virgina men's team, the race provides the opportunity to develop some depth behind its top runner, junior Emil Heineking. Heineking won his last race at Panorama Farms in September at the Lou Onesty Invitational by more than a minute, setting a meet record of 24:04. The time gap between Heineking and Virginia's fifth finisher was 1:39 in that race. Two weeks ago, at the George Mason Invitational, that gap narrowed to 43 seconds, and the Cavaliers hope to continue that trend.

"We have a number of guys that need to gain confidence," senior Graham Tribble said. "We have some guys that need to get used to running in competitive races. Particularly our four, five and six guys need to get used to competing well against good competition."

For the No. 10 women's team, the race is just as important and will give both squads a chance to make a statement before they head into the ACC championships.

The meet "is going to be pretty important because it is pulling in a lot of teams," senior Samantha Stafford said. "It is really establishing us as a school. It is especially important for us to show what we've got to everyone that is coming out."

Despite the pressure to perform well on their own turf against elite teams, the Cavaliers have not deviated from their normal preparation.

"Our preparation for a race itself is not different, but the mind set is a lot different," Stafford said. "You definitely prepare yourself a lot more for it when you know there is a lot more at stake. Even if the physical preparation is not any different, the day of [the race] you [will] be a lot more engaged in the race and have more specific goals for what you want to accomplish."

The Cavaliers' goals, meanwhile, also extend far beyond this week.

"Right now it is six weeks from nationals," Tribble said. "So it means we just need to stay tight as a group, look out for each other, and make sure we are doing everything we can to get better, both in and out of practice"

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