By Arielle Gordon
 
Despite the snow and cold temperatures, Colorado College men's and women's cross country teams are proceeding about their normal practice schedule ahead of this Saturday's Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships at Widick Field in Widefield, Colo.
 
This is the first time CC will host the league's cross country championships. The altitude has been a factor in past decisions, as most SCAC schools are at a lower elevation, but the team found out last year that they were going to host the 2019 meet.
 
"Our captains are really into this," head coach Ted Castaneda said. "They take a lot of pride in hosting the SCAC Championships and they've been firing up the team. We're getting some great leadership from within."
 
Leading up to this weekend, the Tigers traveled to Estacada, OR two weeks ago for the Lewis & Clark Invite. The men placed second and the women placed fifth, giving them some confidence heading into this weekend against rival Trinity University and the rest of the SCAC.
 
"This should be a good meet to launch from," senior Tony Calderon said. "We're just looking at it as a stepping stone to regionals and getting a big confidence booster for the team." 
 
The Tigers host their home races about one mile north of campus at Monument Valley Park, which they also use to practice. They have visited the course in Widefield a few times to practice, and are becoming familiar with it, especially since this course features more hills than others.
 
"Overall, it's kind of been about mental toughness," sophomore Megan Koch said. "We kind of now what to expect with the weather, but we don't know if our competitors do. We know that we can prepare ourselves mentally to get through those moments when not only are your legs hurting but your hands are also hurting because you're so cold."
 
This is not the first time in recent memory that weather has had the potential to impact SCAC Championships. Last year, Schreiner University hosted the championships and the original course flooded in the days leading up to the race. A new course was created, and although it featured more loops than originally intended it still provided a competitive race.
 
Competitors will once again face a looped course this year as the Widick Field course is set to a 2k loop. The women will run it three times and the men will complete four loops.
 
We've been doing more 2k repeats," Koch said. "Getting a feel for what your pace should be for a 2k has been something we've worked into our training."
 
CC will have two weeks off before heading to Regionals in Claremont, CA over block break, which is also expected to feature a hilly course. Their success at regionals will determine how many athletes continue their season at the Division III national meet in Louisville, Ky., on Nov. 23.
 
"We had a great September, just building a great foundation, toughening them up to get ready for October when we really step it up with high-intensity training," Castaneda said.  "Unless you have that foundation you won't be able to do the kinds of workouts we're doing now."
 
The men's race is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., followed by the women's race at 11 a.m.