Cross country is set for this weekend’s MAC championship, and the Huskies are looking to outperform last season’s 11th-of-12 team finish.

Race execution and confidence have been emphasized throughout the season, and this week has been no different.

“Workouts have been good, putting on some final touches,” said head coach Greg Hipp. “[We’ve] been putting our priorities on confidence building and trying to show the girls where they are at and show them they are ready to compete really well this weekend and give them that confidence to put themselves into position to what our team goals are.”

NIU has struggled at the conference championship over the past few seasons. Hipp is looking for a different result in 2013. NIU has had declining 6K race times and is hoping for an all-around strong team effort that could hopefully land it in the top half of the conference finishers.

“We feel [finishing] the top half is realistic. Certainly putting our self in position to improve the program and better our previous best finish of eighth [in 2009] would be a good step,” Hipp said. “I think a good, solid day puts us in the top eight, and if we really put it together the top six is not unrealistic. At the end of the day I just want to see the ladies compete and put themselves in that position…. I honestly think we can do that.”

Toledo, the 2012 MAC champion, looks like the team to beat, as it returned all its runners from last season. The group included three of the top-four finishers during the 104-runner conference meet.

Eastern Michigan, Akron, Kent State and Buffalo are the teams Hipp feels the Huskies will battle for the top-half finish.

In order to be in the top half NIU needs a finisher in the top 20 and runners at No. 2 through No. 6 to be somewhere between 36th through 39th.

Meghan Heuer, who’s 6K time at the Bradley Classic earned her second in the NIU record books, is a runner Hipp is counting on to continue the strong performances she has put together lately.

Ali Olson, Leah Raffety and team captain Jamie Burr — if she can give her hip a go — are Huskies who also need to have a good race in the conference meet.

Olson, who has led the Huskies in two meets this season, feels great going in and is hoping for strong team results.

“I feel pretty confident. My body feels good and feels like it is ready to run fast, so I should be good,” Olson said.

Other notable runners who are set to compete in the MAC championship are seniors Juliane Totzke Claire McAuley and freshmen Carly Pederson.

NIU is set to run 11 a.m. Saturday in Bowling Green, Ohio.