With just two weeks until the Sun Belt Conference Championships at Kereiakes Park, WKU’s cross country team has reached the final stretch of its regular season.

The Toppers will participate in their final regular season meet at the ISU Pre-Nationals at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind., on Saturday.

WKU will be running on the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, the same course used for the NCAA Cross Country National Championships, which takes place Nov. 22.

Head Coach Erik Jenkins hopes it’s a taste of what’s to come.

“Running on the national championship (course) is a great opportunity,” Jenkins said. “Hopefully we can come back here in a month or so.”

The ISU Pre-Nationals is the biggest collegiate meet of the year, with nearly 1,600 runners taking the course in several different races throughout the day.

The meet is loaded with national talent, as 18 of the top 30 men’s and 18 of the top 30 women’s teams in the country are competing.

Though the meet has a postseason feel with added difficulty and pressure, Jenkins is just looking for another quality effort from his team.

“I’m just looking for us to have a competitive race,” Jenkins said. “We have a long way to go in a little amount of time, and I’m just wanting us to continue making improvement.”