JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn.- Interim head cross country coach Whit Lee released the 2023 cross country schedule this morning, Aug. 9.
Carson-Newman cross country will compete in six meets in the upcoming 2023 season. Four of those meets will take place before the South Atlantic Conference Championships on Oct. 21. The Eagles will begin the year at the SAC Preview on Saturday, Sep. 9. The meet will take place in Newton, N.C. at Southside Park and begin at 9:00 a.m. with the women's 6k. The men will follow at 9:45 a.m. with the 8k race.
"We're opening the season with back-to-back weekends at two venues that are new to everyone on the team," Lee said. "We wanted to see these two courses as both are sites for our postseason later in October and November. This will give us a better sense of what to focus on in our training leading up to the SAC and Region championships races."
The UNG Cross Country Invitational will take place Friday, Sep. 15. at the UNG Gainesville Campus in Oakwood, Ga. The meet will consist of a men's and women's 8K race. The men will step to the line first and begin at 5:45 p.m. The women will race at 6:30 p.m., and the awards ceremony will begin at 7:00 p.m. The full schedule of events can be found HERE.
That weekend is still in flux for the Eagles as the team shifts through a few first-rate meet opportunities. Another quality option for the Eagles' second September outing is the Cherokee Farms XC Invitational in Knoxville, Tn. The meet will take place on Saturday, Sep. 16.
"Our other two meets around Atlanta and Charlotte are familiar to our program and are venues that regularly produce some good performances and times. It's a nice way to close out the regular season; feeling fast and primed for the postseason," Lee said.
The ASICS Invitational will take place in Fairburn, Ga. at Bouckaert Farms on Saturday, Sep. 30. The men will open the day with an 8k beginning at 7:50 a.m., and the women race at 9:00 a.m. in a 6k event.
Heading into Octobor, the Eagles will travel to Charlotte, N.C. to compete in the Royals XC Challenge at McAlpine Creek Park. The women's 5k will begin at 5:05 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 6. The men's 8k will follow at 5:45 p.m.
The postseason will begin with the South Atlantic Conference Championships on Saturday, Oct. 21. The Eagles will travel back to Southside Park in Newton, N.C. for the meet. The men will race in the 8k at 9:00 a.m. while the women run the 6k at 10:15 a.m.
The NCAA DII Southeast Regional Championships will take place on Saturday, Nov. 4 to conclude the season. C-N will travel to Oakwood, Ga. to compete in the championships. The schedule for the postseason meet is still in the works and will likely be released closer to the time of competition.
Carson-Newman cross country is set to begin the 2023 season on Saturday, Sep. 9 at the SAC Preview. Stay up to date on cneagles.com.
