EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE cross country will compete Friday in their second meet of the season at the Country Financial ISU Invite, hosted by Illinois State in Normal, Illinois.

Last weekend, both men's and women's teams placed second at EIU's Walt Crawford Open. Keith Meyer and Scott Woodard posted top-five finishes for the men's squad.

"With a race under our belts, we have a better sense of where we are from a racing standpoint," said Distance Coach Kayla Brown. "We can use last week's race to help determine what parts of our races may need work."

The women's team will compete in a 5K at 5 p.m. The men's 8K begins at 5:45 p.m.

"The weather looks great," said Brown. "But no matter what the weather looks like on any given day, we have to be prepared and remember that everyone is racing in the same conditions."

Nine total teams will be competing in the race, including DePaul, Eastern Illinois, UIC, Illinois, Iowa, Loyola, North Central, Northern Illinois, and SIUE.

"It will be a competitive meet and mental toughness will be one of the main keys," said Brown.