CLINTON, MS – The Northwestern State cross country teams used Saturday's Choctaw Trails event in Clinton, MS, as a way to prepare for the Southland Conference Championships on Oct. 28 in Nacogdoches, TX.
 
Delivering strong individual performances were juniors Josh Wilkins and Erin Wrozek, who finished third and 11^th, respectively, in the division-1 race.
 
First-year head coach Chris Sauer has become accustomed to solid races from these two, but it was the contribution from other members that impressed him.
 
"On the women's side, I saw a promising race from Emily Sitarz and Sydney Cowgill," Sauer said. "Emily has been steadily improving this season, and Sydney ran a well executed race today."
 
The Lady Demons' approach was a way to prepare for the added distance conference offers in two weeks.
 
"Today was definitely a stepping stone for us to conference," Sauer said. "The women went out conservatively and raced well over the last two miles which, if they can do again in two weeks, will help out a lot with the longer 6k distance."
 
On the men's side, Sauer was impressed with the mental fortitude the Demons showed.
 
"I was happy to see Tyler Corwin and Jacob Dahlhoff have good races for themselves," Sauer said. "With a lot of guys struggling with the longer distance, they held themselves together."
 
The 8k Choctaw Trails event served as a good precursor for what the men's team will see at the Southland Conference Championships, and Sauer thinks they needed the preview.

"The men needed a longer race, and while it could have gone better, I think it gave them a much better idea of how they have to approach an 8k," Sauer said.
 
He envisions the next two weeks as a way to balance rest and also finding a way to match the conference meet's style.

"We'll be giving them a little more recovery time, and I'll be making the workouts look a little more like what they'll encounter at the conference meet," Sauer said. "It's all about tying their fitness together to emulate how we think the race will go in two weeks."
 
Northwestern State cross country heads to Nacogdoches, TX,  on Friday, Oct. 28, for the Southland Conference Championships held in the Walter P. Ledet Track Complex.

No results were available for the Choctaw Trails event Saturday.