Fresh off an impressive showing at regionals, the Georgetown cross country team will reach the climax of its season this weekend at Indiana State University.

Junior Matt Debole, recovered from a sore foot that kept him out of the NCAA Regional Championships, will return to the mix as the Hoyas head to Terre Haute, Ind., for the 2005 NCAA Cross Country Championships.

Georgetown finished 15th at the 2004 national tournament, but after a shorthanded first-place finish at this year’s regionals, Assistant Coach Pat Henner anticipates an improvement.

“We’ve got a totally different team this year,” Henner said. “We’ve got great depth in that our seven runners are going to run really well at the meet.”

The Hoyas are ranked ninth in the recent Mondo NCAA men’s cross country poll, with annual heavyweights Wisconsin, Arkansas and Colorado filling the top three slots.

On the women’s side, the Hoyas received an at-large bid thanks to their third-place performance at the regional meet. Led by junior Liz Maloy and sophomore Maggie Infeld, the team is ranked 29th in the latest FinishLynx NCAA women’s cross country rankings.

“We have a shot at beating many of the teams in the bottom group that are ranked above us,” Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Ron Helmer said.

Last year, the women failed to qualify for the NCAA championship meet for the first time in over 10 seasons. This year, they’ll have a shot at climbing the ranks against the nation’s top teams.