The Penn State men's cross country team will host the National Invitational, the team's final home meet of the season, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Penn State's Blue Course.

Head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan says she is looking forward to competing well and watching her seniors, including team leader and All-American Dan Mazzocco, run their final race at home. The competition will be fierce as the Lions face Syracuse, the team title winners from the last meet. Alford-Sullivan says this is an opportunity for the team to prepare for the upcoming meets, which will be much more challenging.

Junior Edward Quinn says the team is trying to win the meet after having lost to Syracuse and Penn this season. Penn State has fallen short of the finish line, claiming the No. 2 spot at its past two meets, but hopes to change the course of the season this weekend.

"We know who's here, we know who we want to beat," Quinn said.

He added that the team needs better grouping after the fourth man in order to be really competitive and challenge the other teams for a win.

"We have a really nice pack of four in the front," Alford-Sullivan said. "We are looking for five, six, seven, and eight to step forward and close the gaps."

She wants the team to solidify its racing experience and competitiveness in this race.

"We're in the heart of the season," she said. "We need to clean up and make sure we are well-suited for performance."

The team is beginning to form championship goals as the second home meet approaches.

"We need to do well here and think about the next level," Quinn said. "We want to perform well, gain confidence and reach for higher goals."

The team's main goal right now is to stay healthy and improve its fitness levels. Quinn says the Lions want to keep up the team bond and stay dedicated to working hard.

"After the next meet, we can better see what we need to do for the championship," Quinn said. "We're still taking it one meet at a time."