CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - Austin Peay State University men and women's cross country teams get one final tune-up before the conference championships at the Evansville Invitational, Saturday. The men's eight-kilometer event kicks off at 11 a.m., followed by the women's five-kilometer immediately afterward.

"This is a course where you need a good first mile," said head coach Doug Molnar. "After that, it's hard to get by people because of the terrain."

In addition to Austin Peay, four Ohio Valley Conference schools - Eastern Illinois, Murray State, Southeast Missouri and Tennessee Tech - will compete at this event.

"This will give us a chance to see where we stack up," said Molnar. "Eastern Illinois and Southeast Missouri are expected to finish in the top three in the conference in men and women's competition, so it will provide a good test for us."

The men have rounded out a top four of senior Andre Braima, sophomores Enock Langat and Boniface Yator and freshman Konnor Kessler. The fifth spot will have to be solidified by either senior Antonio Diaz, sophomore Evan Collins or freshman Nick Gammon for the Govs to compete as a team.

"The men have improved steadily and had solid practices," said Molnar. "Diaz (back), Collins (flu), or Gammon (Achilles tendon) will have to seize control of that spot, but currently each is sick or banged up."

For the women, the clear leader has become sophomore Janelle Avery, who has led the Lady Govs in each race this season. Along with senior Shamai Larsen and up-and-coming freshman Alyssa Molnar, Avery will lead a Lady Govs team that has come on strong in recent weeks.

"Avery has definitely become the dominant force of the women's group," said Molnar. "The great thing is she gets better each week, and so does everyone else. This is our last chance to make adjustments before the conference meet; we just need to keep improving like we have every week."

- AP -