Thadd O'Donnell waited all day Friday for the weather to clear up.
It never did.
He knows why too.
"They call it the O'Donnell factor," the Dickinson cross country coach said. "If you want some rain, we'll just have to schedule a meet."
O'Donnell said although the conditions could be fierce, the team planned to go ahead with the Dickinson State Invitational, which begins at 10 a.m. today at the first hole fairway of Heart River Golf Course.
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O'Donnell said the team plans to use the meet to improve upon their finish at the first meet of the season on Sept. 8 at Minot State.
The women finished third at the meet with 53 points.
Kristal Wolf propeled the women's team. The senior finished fifth overall with a time of 20 minutes, 49 seconds.
Senior Kodi Klatt finished ninth at 21:24, freshman Rayel McPeters was 10th at 21:26 and freshman Cortney Rapp, a Dickinson Trinity graduate, was 12th at 21:42.
The men's team, meanwhile, left room for improvement, but not much.
All five of its first-team runners finished in the top 12 at the Minot State meet, finishing with 32 points.
John Kungu, a sophomore transfer from Kenya, finished in third place with a time of 26:43.
Sergio Campos was fifth with a time of 27:29. Bismarck Cheruiyot was eighth at 28:28, Shane Grever was 11th at 28:55 and Derrick Brown, a senior from Dickinson, finished 12th in 29:18.
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"Whoever we run against, we're looking for individual performances from our guys," O'Donnell said.
However, O'Donnell said the the Blue Hawks may have to keep their eyes on Montana State-Billings and South Dakota Tech, two teams they haven't faced this season.
Men from both Yellowstone Baptist College and United Tribes Community College will also run at the meet. Dickinson State, Montana State-Billings and South Dakota Tech will run in the women's event.
O'Donnell hopes staying home can give the Blue Hawks the boost they need to come away with wins.
"Anytime you can sleep in your own bed, you're going to feel a little more fresh, more energized," O'Donnell said.
