With only a few meets left before conference and national championship meets, the Maroons are traveling to DePauw this weekend to face DePauw and Calvin in what is shaping up to be a clash of the titans.
Chicago has had a winning season so far, with only one loss this past weekend to Division I UW–Milwaukee on Senior Day. With wins against tough competition earlier in the season, the Maroons are feeling hopeful heading into this weekend and the approaching postseason.
The women’s team is currently ranked eighth in the nation while the men’s team is ranked 10th. DePauw holds rankings of 13th for their women’s team and 21th for their men’s team. This past weekend, the DePauw men’s team split with a win against Franklin and loss against Rose-Hulman while the women won both. The Calvin men’s team, on the other hand, is currently ranked 13th with their women’s team ranking 18th. The women’s team split this past weekend with a win against Albion and loss against Hope while the men’s team won against both teams.
Fourth-year Brian Weisbecker believes everyone in the meet is aware that the weekend will be a robust one with lots of competition.
“Going into this meet, we know we are going to see a lot of tough competition. We are all ranked top 25 in the nation right now, so to come out with two wins on both the men and women sides we are going to need to be focused and ready to race come Saturday,”
Weisbecker said.
This focus was present last year, as both the women’s and men’s teams beat DePauw. As one could assume from their immense success, the Maroons have been going through intense training the entire season in preparation for the UAA and national championships.
Weisbecker commented on the way the South Siders’ weekend can be successful as the last few strides to the postseason are underway. “We are in the last few weeks of tough training before we start resting for our end of the season meets. So while we may be a bit broken down, with some heart and energy we should come away with those W’s.”
The meet will begin at DePauw on Saturday at 11 a.m.
