The Longhorns travel to Indiana on Friday to compete in the Notre Dame Invitational at Burke Golf Course in Notre Dame, Indiana.

More than 30 schools from around the nation will compete, presenting Texas with its biggest challenge of the season so far.

The Longhorns hope to continue their success after dominant victories by both the men and the women at the Texas Invitational on Sept. 16. Senior Sandie Raines claimed first place in the women’s 3,000-meter run, sprinting to the finish line as five of her teammates trailed behind for a clean sweep. 

For the men, the results were equally impressive. Sophomore Alex Rogers comfortably crossed the finish line in front of everybody in the 5,000-meter race, followed by a pack of burnt orange uniforms in positions two through five. Both teams’ perfect scores sparked a wave of optimism heading into their second event.

“It’s definitely a confidence booster for myself and the younger guys, because we are getting ready to get to the main part of the season,” Rogers said. “We are going into a big race, and we’re ready to go.”

Although the Longhorns dominated the Texas Invitational, they still haven’t climbed the national rankings. In the latest coaches poll, the Longhorn men sit at No. 30, while the women remain just short of being ranked. 

“There’s a lot of nationally ranked teams there [this weekend],” assistant coach Brad Herbster said. “We really want to surprise some people this year and do some things that we haven’t done in a while.”  

The women’s 5,000-meter run will be the first of five events starting at 2 p.m. followed by the men’s 5-mile run at 2:45 p.m. The open race is set to begin at 3:30 p.m.