Too many students complain about the heat when walking across campus.
Think about the ASU men's and women's cross country teams that actually run in it. They routinely practice in the mornings to avoid the scorching temperatures, but the sun always finds them. They have learned to deal with the heat, otherwise they would be practicing well before the crack of dawn.
Today, the Sun Devils hope all the practice pays off when opening the season in the Adidas Invitational at Notre Dame.
"We always start on this week, and it gives us the ability to see two to three good teams," ASU head coach Walt Drenth said.
The event, which marks the earliest meet the Fighting Irish have ever hosted, will be held at the Burke Memorial Golf Course in South Bend, Ind. Four men's teams — No. 7 N.C. State, No. 13 ASU, No. 25 Notre Dame and Tennessee — will participate in the event.
"(The meet) will be real low-key, and will help us see where we are," Sun Devil sophomore J.J. Duke said. "It will help us know what to work on for November."
ASU is slated to have only two runners at the meet that will include women's teams from N.C. State and Notre Dame.
"(The meet) will be pretty cutthroat with so many girls racing," Sun Devil redshirt freshman Liz Lindgren said.
Four of the seven ASU runners on the women's team that advanced to the 2001 NCAA Championships have graduated. Drenth is hoping the Adidas Invitational will help the Sun Devils find the combination needed to again establish themselves as a national contender.
"That's why we have this meet, to help us find the front people that we'll need," he said. "We're leaving some key people home who are hurt and are not quite ready to run. It's been a great summer, but by no means is anyone really ready to run at their best."
Reach the reporter at katie.crane@asu.edu.