- MSU Meet Notes

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Mississippi State cross country teams head to Oxford for the 2009 SEC Championships, Saturday. The men kick off the conference battle running an 8K at 10 a.m., followed by a women's 5K at 11 a.m. MSU's main goal is to finish in the top half and improve upon last year's 6th and 9th place finishes.

"Our goal every SEC Championship is to finish in the top half of the conference," women's head coach Al Schmidt said. "I think we have a really good chance at doing well this weekend."

The No. 9 NCAA South Regionally ranked Bulldogs are coming off the heels of a 15th place finish at the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival, where they also finished ahead of SEC foe LSU.

"I'm excited about the weekend," men's head coach Houston Franks said. "I'm really happy where the guys are from a training and fitness standpoint heading into this weekend. We are going to race better as a team than we have so far this season, and we plan on going and doing pretty well."

The Lady Bulldogs, who have finished in the top 15 in all of their races this season, are looking to race as a team behind proven leader Simone Domingue.

"Simone has stepped up and done a good job taking the lead for our girls," Schmidt said. "I think we will do well if we come together as a team."