EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE men's and women's cross country will travel to Falcon Heights, Minnesota, to compete in the Roy Griak Invitational Saturday.

The men's race begins at 12:20 p.m., and the women's race begins at 1:10 p.m.

The Roy Griak Invitational is one of the biggest races on the Cougars' schedules this year.

The race features an all-NCAA Division I field of competition, including several nationally ranked teams. No. 19 North Carolina, No. 24 Texas, No. 27 Iowa State, and No. 29 Colorado State will be running in the men's race. Nationally ranked women's teams competing are No. 3 Michigan State, No. 9 Iowa State, No. 11 Butler, No. 20 Boise State, No. 22 Vanderbilt, No. 28 Minnesota, and No. 30 North Carolina.

"They're ready for it," said Head Coach Eileen McAllister. "The freshmen are starting to feel a little bit more comfortable, and they're getting used to each other."

SIUE will be the only OVC team to compete in the race.

"This is going to be beneficial for us moving forward," said McAllister. "It's our first true test of the year and will prepare us for important races like NCAA Regionals and the Ohio Valley Conference Championship."