Tokai University stunned a national audience by capturing its first-ever Hakone ekiden title with a tournament record at the last edition in January.

The team is ready to do it again. This time, with bigger confidence as the defending champion.

Tokai settled for a fourth-place finish at the Izumo ekiden, one of the three major collegiate ekiden events, in Shimane Prefecture in October. But it bounced back in the national collegiate ekiden championship with its first win in 16 years last month.