LA GRANDE, Ore. - After what felt like a quick two-week break, Mountaineers Cross Country is ready to hit the race course once again. The Mountaineers remain in stats this weekend as they will head to Salem to run in the 46th installment of the Charles Bowles Invitational hosted by Willamette University.

MEET INFORMATION
46th Charles Bowles Invitational
Salem, Ore.
Bush's Pasture Park
M: 11:00 a.m. | W: 11:50 a.m.

Starting Line
The Mountaineers are back in action for the third time this season as they will run in one of the more historic meets in the state of Oregon in the Charles Bowles Invite. The course will be on the campus of Willamette University.

The men's race will be on tap first at 11 a.m. PT and will be an 8K course, which is the longest the men have run this year. On the women's side, race time is set for 11:50 a.m. PT and will be a 5K race. The Mountaineers women already have one 5K under their belt from their home meet.

Course Breakdown
The 8K and 5K courses are expected to be predominantly flat and have a combination of grass, bark chips, track, blacktop, cement, and graveled paths.

Weather is expected to be in favor of the runners with temperatures ranging between 65-70 degrees and sunny. Wind and cloud coverage is low and chances of rain are under 10%.

Fans wishing to follow the meet can do so via a live stream and live results courtesy of Willamette University Athletics.

Race Competition
The field of teams in this weekend's races are not expected to be big in quantity but the quality will be there with four ranked teams running in the men's race and three ranked teams running in the women's race. 

On the men's side, No. 5 Lewis-Clark State, No. 9 Southern Oregon, and No. 17 Oregon Tech are all expected to house full teams along with No. 24 EOU. A handful of community colleges are expected to race as well with top teams like Lane and Spokane in the mix.

The women's race will feature No. 10 LC State, No. 17 SOU, and OIT, who is receiving votes in the latest NAIA top-25 coaches' poll. Quality times have been posted in the past for teams at this course and with the field of quality runners, this year likely will not be any different.

Last Time Out
The Mountaineers hosted their annual home invite at the La Grande Country Club. The EOU men led the charge finishing third as a team behind a pair ranked opponents. Travis Running led the way once again placing fourth on the 7K course in a time of 22:31 flat.

The Mountaineer women placed sixth overall as a group, despite being short handed some veteran runners. Katie Jo Gebhardt and Jaimee Baxter led the group placing 28th and 29th, respectively on the 5K course..

Up Next
The Mountaineers will have another two-week break before running in what will be their final meet of the regular season. Eastern will compete at the LC State Warrior Invitational on Oct. 16 to close out the regular season.

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