JEFFERSON CITY, TENN. - For the first time since 2019, the Carson-Newman cross country squad will compete in six different events in the 2021 season.
"A lot of our kids have not raced in awhile," says Cross Country coach Mike Spooner. "I went back and looked at results from two years ago and looked at places where we could have good competition and gain the most at different events. I think we have a schedule that will benefit the team this year."
The Eagles will have their first competition in 664 days when they head to Greeneville, Tenn. for the Tusculum Open on Friday, Sept. 3. Carson-Newman last competed in Greeneville in 2017 with both the men's and women's squad finishing third. All-American and former cross country coach Luke Greer took first-place in the event with a time of 15:38.00 in the men's 5K race.
"This meet will be a shorter meet for our men as it is a 5K," says Spooner. "This shorter distance helps get the team back into gear since its been so long since we've competed. Hopefully it'll help build confidence. It also helps me as a new coach see the rest of the conference and with it being so close to Carson-Newman, it allows our runners to have their families come and watch."
Carson-Newman will then head to McAlpine Park in Charlotte, N.C. for their first of three trips to the Queen City to compete in the Queen City Invite on Friday, Sept. 24. The Eagle men's squad competed at Queens during the 2019 season, finishing 29th. Conal McCambridge lead the men with a 54th place finish. Klara Naude and Rachel Strayer both competed individually at the same meet, with Strayer finishing 33rd overall.
October will begin with the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic in Louisville, Ky. The Eagles have never competed at the event, but this will be the squad's fourth time competing in the Derby City since 2009. Carson-Newman competed at the Louisville Classic hosted by Division I Louisville University in 2019, where the men finished 32nd and the women finished 50th. Strayer shined for the Eagles finishing third out of 533 racers with a 5K time of 18:12.50 in her first race back from injury. The Live in Lou Cross Country Classic will also be streamed via FloTrack.
"The Louisville course is one I ran when I competed in college," says Spooner. "It's also similar to the McAlpine Course where we will compete three times and at the conference championship. It encourages an agressive pace in the first mile and will help us keep the constant mindset with our team to prepare for conference and compete with high quality schools."
The regular season closes with the squad's second trip to Charlotte for the Royals Challenge. It is the first time that Carson-Newman has competed at the same course twice in the regular season since 2018 when the Eagles also competed in two meets at McAlpine Park.
"The familiarity with this course is going to be huge for us," says Spooner. "It'll allow us to not have the jitters come conference time. We will have two chances to run here before the conference meet and will get to see what we did right and what we did wrong and can fix it before the conference meet. It'll also help us stay excited to race on this course and stay motivated after a few years off."
Carson-Newman will look to claim a South Atlantic Conference championship when they head back to Charlotte for the 2021 SAC Cross Country Championships. The Eagle men finished 8th at the 2019 SAC Championships in Wingate, N.C. while the women finished seventh. Strayer lead the way once again for the Eagles, finishing fifth out of 86 racers and earning a spot on the SAC First-Team All-Conference list.
The NCAA Division II Southeast Regional will be hosted by Converse University in Spartanburg, S.C. at Milliken Park. The men finished 14th at the 2019 Southeast Regional in Wingate, N.C. while the women finished 17th. Strayer finished sixth place out of 181 runners at the event, earning All-American honors. Strayer's time of 22:20.6 was just enough to allow her to qualify for the NCAA Division II National Championships, becoming the first female cross country runner from Carson-Newman to compete at the National Championships since Aubrey Morris in 2008.
The Eagles last competed at Milliken Park at the 2018 SAC Cross Country Championships. The men finished eighth while the women finished fourth. Greer, Strayer and Kathie O'Neil all earned All-Conference honors while Strayer's sixth place finish earned her the SAC Freshman of the Year Award.
"This schedule will not only prepare us for conference but the regional as well," says Spooner. "We will use these regular season meets to build good habits and get us where we need to be in the postseason."
For more information on the Carson-Newman cross country team, head to cneagles.com or follow the team on Twitter at @CN_Track.
