A year ago, on the Friday night before the Pre-National Invitational in Waterloo, Iowa, the cross country team went bowling.

Coach Amy Tush took the team out, hoping it could blow off some steam before facing off against some of the country’s best teams the next morning.

This year, though, senior Emily Blakeslee doesn’t think an evening at the bowling alley will be necessary.

“We’re not getting that nervous before races that we need to go bowling,” Blakeslee said. “I think our team is more laid back this year. I think we can handle the pressure on our own.”

Blakeslee prefers more conventional ways of relieving stress before a big race.

“I like to pray before a race to calm myself down,” Blakeslee said. “It also helps when people are joking around on the warm-up as opposed to warm-ups where no one talks.”

And does the team do yoga or calming exercises before a meet?

“No, we’re not that flexible,” Blakeslee said.

There is definitely pressure on the runners, though. The Pre-Nationals are more than just a good opportunity to see how the women compare to the top runners in the country.

Their performance at this weekend’s meet could help determine whether NU will return to Waterloo on Nov. 24 for the NCAA National Championships.

“This is the turning point in our season,” Tush said. “We’ll readjust our goals for the rest of the season after this meet.”

NU’s top seven runners will compete in Waterloo: seniors Emily Blakeslee, Nora Colligan and Nicole Kalogeropoulos, junior Diana Hossfeld, sophomore Kalysta HarMonday, and freshmen Mallory O’Niel and Casey Shea.

The next 12 runners will be competing this weekend at the Wisconsin-Parkside Open in Kenosha, Wis.

Blakeslee competed on the Pre-Nationals course as a freshmen and still has fond memories of racing on the golf course near Iowa State.

“I had one of my best personal records — it’s a really good course,” Blakeslee said.

“Running on a golf course is always good because there are no big hills, the short grass makes it fast and the ground is hard, so that always helps, too.”

Of Blakeslee’s return to Waterloo, Tush said, “just being in the atmosphere is going to make her run well.”

While she had not yet decided on whether the team would go bowling this year, or whether there would be a new, surprise activity, it is obvious to Tush that the women need to get their game faces on before the gun sounds to start the race.

“It all comes down to staying focused and competing against yourself,” Tush said. “We’ve been working on getting our confidence back. We’re ready to race and ready to see where we stack up.”