EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – The SIUE men's and women's cross country teams will participate in their final meet of the season Friday afternoon when they travel to Springfield, Mo. for the NCAA Midwest Regional.

The women's 6K race will begin at noon before the men's 10K competition starts at 1:15 p.m.  Missouri State will serve as the host of the meet.  Both races will be longer than what the Cougars have been running this season, as the women normally run 5K races while the men compete in 8K races.

Leading the way for the women's team will be freshman Kirby Hale who is coming off a stellar performance at the OVC Championships where she recorded the second-fastest 5K time ever for a freshman at SIUE (18 minutes, 24.33 seconds).

On the men's side, freshman Clint Kliem also had a memorable OVC Championship race, posting the top 8K finish for a freshman in program history with a time of 25:24.19.

There are nine regional sites across the country which serve as the first round of the NCAA National Championships.  The top two teams and top four individuals not on an advancing team move on to nationals which will be held Nov. 17 in Louisville, Ky.

Additional teams and individuals are chosen through an at-large selection process following the regional competition.

More information on Friday's meet can be found here.