After a run to the NCAA Division II National Championship meet last season, Wilmington University cross country head coach Keith Jones announces little change to the 2014 men's and women's country schedule.
The men will look to defend the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference meet for the second year in a row, having won the conference meet for the second year in a row last year. The men swept the top-five finishes to complete the race with a record 15 points. The women placed fifth at the CACC meet for the second year in a row.
The men's squad made an unprecedented run to the NCAA Division II National Championship meet in Spokane, Wash., finishing third in the NCAA Division II East Regional Championship.
This season, Jones announced the addition of one meet that differs from the 2013 schedule to accommodate the move of the NCAA National Meet to Louisville, Ky.
The 2014 campaign kicks off with the 14th Annual WUXC Invitational, hosted by Jones and the Wildcats at Carousel Park on Saturday, September 6.
The Wildcats then make the short trip to Newark and White Clay Creek State Park to take part in the University of Delaware Invitational #1 on Saturday, September 13.
In preparation for the East Regional Meet at the end of the season, the teams will take part in the Codfish Bowl at Franklin Park in Boston on Saturday, September 27, to round out the first month of meets.
To get a feel for the course in hopes of returning to the National Championship, the Wildcats will participate in the Greater Louisville Classic, hosted by Bellarmine University, in Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville on Saturday, October 4.
The regular season culminates with the highly sought after invite to the Princeton Cross Country Invitational on the campus of Princeton in West Windsor Field on Saturday, October 18.
The men will look for their third straight CACC title on Sunday, November 9, at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, with the gun firing off at 10 a.m. The women follow with the CACC Championship race starting at 11 a.m.
Historic Franklin Park in Boston, Mass. will once again be home to the NCAA Division II East Regional Championship on November 23, with the top three teams from each race and top five individuals earning a spot in the NCAA Division II National Championship event.
Should either team make an appearance in the National Championship, the meet will be held at Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky., on Saturday, December 6.
AGATE:
2014 Wilmington University Cross Country Schedule:
September:
6 – 14th Annual WUXC Invitational (Carousel Park); 13 – at UD Invite (White Clay Creek State Park); 27 – at Codfish Bowl (Franklin Park, Boston, Mass.).
October:
4 – at Greater Louisville Classic (Tom Sawyer Park, Louisville, Ky.); 18 – at Princeton Cross Country Invitational (West Windsor Field, Princeton, N.J.)
November:
9 – at CACC Championship (Belmont Plateau, Fairmont Park, Philadelphia, Pa.); 23 – at NCAA Division II East Regional Championship (Franklin Park, Boston, Mass.)
December:
6 – at NCAA Division II National Championship (Tom Sawyer Park, Louisville, Ky.)