SILVER CITY, N.M. (Oct. 25, 2019) – There are plenty of variables for Oklahoma Christian's men as the Eagles enter the cross country postseason this year – travel, altitude, new conference opponents and a bit of a proverbial target on their backs, courtesy of an appearance in the South Central Region rankings.

But as the Eagles prepare for their first Lone Star Conference Championship meet – to be hosted by Western New Mexico at University Golf Course at Scott Park – there's a quiet sense of confidence that they've prepared well, OC coach Wade Miller said. Race time will be at 11:30 a.m. Central time on Saturday.

"We've got a lot of youth this year and that can be a positive or a negative in the way they handle it," Miller said. "I think our group has been positive and has done a good job of working hard. We've handled the adversity that we've had during the season relatively well. We'll go out and race and see what happens."

Traveling long distances to race in a conference meet isn't new for the Eagles; in recent years, they've twice journeyed to Laredo, Texas, to compete in the Heartland Conference meet, winning one of their two Heartland titles there in 2015. But the trip to western New Mexico and the Mountain Time Zone is different – the Eagles first are flying into El Paso, Texas, then making a 2½-hour bus ride to Silver City, the westernmost point in the conference. (On the way back, the Eagles will bus to Tucson, Ariz., before flying home.)

"There are some challenges that come with long trips and being ready to compete," Miller said. "We'll have to make sure we're taking care of the little things to be ready to race on Saturday morning. I think the majority of that is just being in the right mindset – not letting any hiccups get blown out of proportion and having the ability to get on the line and race hard."

There's also the major factor of altitude – Silver City sits at an elevation of 5,895 feet; by comparison, Oklahoma City is at 1,201 feet of elevation – that could be a leveling factor in the race, Miller said. Also, with 16 teams, the LSC race will be considerably larger than the Heartland's eight-team event in recent years.

The latter factor could play into OC's favor, as one of the Eagles' strengths this season has been the minimal time gaps between the team's top seven runners.

Another positive for the Eagles has been the revolving door of race leaders for the team during the season. Freshmen Ethan Anthony and Owen Pearce and junior Caleb Bozarth all have finished as OC's top runner in a race at least once this season. Pearce is a two-time LSC freshman runner of the week and was the individual winner in the South Central Regional Preview, leading the Eagles to the team win in that race in Canyon, Texas.

Junior Colton Meyers and senior Kelton Reynolds also have posted strong individual finishes this season and freshman Colten Brown is beginning to round into form after missing OC's first few meets. Junior Brady Aderholt, sophomore Jelte van Atten and freshmen Dylan Burrows and Kolten Johnson will round out the Eagles' 10-man contingent.

"The group that we have has been really close to one another in workouts," Miller said. "There's not a lot of separation there. Our gaps have been relatively small from the first runner to the fifth runner. Minimizing that is especially important in a big race.

"Realistically, we need to put all five guys in front of a couple of teams' fourth and fifth guys for us to be competitive for a high position. That's where our highest chance of success lies is running together as a group and making sure that group is in the right position."

OC, picked eighth in the LSC preseason poll, now is one of four league teams in the South Central Region rankings. West Texas A&M is at No. 4, with Lubbock Christian (Texas) at No. 7, OC at No. 9 and Tarleton State (Texas) at No. 10. Miller said Cameron and Western New Mexico (because of the home-course advantage) also have to be considered threats.

The top 15 individual runners will earn All-LSC honors and Miller is hopeful OC's top runners will be in that group.

"I think we've got a good team that can go out and compete well," Miller said. "I think we can mix it up. We have talked about not overlooking people and making sure we're focused on what we need to do and taking care of our business."