TicketsCINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati cross country teams are set to compete in six meets in the upcoming 2018 season with the campaign getting underway September 1 at the Queen City Invitational, the first of four races the Bearcats will run before the championship season gets underway in late October. The four meets will see the Bearcats compete in Kentucky (twice), Indiana and Illinois with Associate Head Coach (men's cross country) Sam Burroughs and Assistant Coach (women's cross country) Lara Crofford set to once again lead their teams.
"We are very excited about this year's schedule," Crofford said. "As tradition, we'll be competing head-to-head against our local rivals (Xavier and Northern Kentucky) to start the season before we head to the John McNichols Invitational, which will prep us for the regional meet held there later in the year. We've also added a few new meets in the Louisville Classic and the Bradley Pink Classic, both of which feature a very high level competition which should prepare us well for the AAC and regional meets."
The season will open across the river in Highland Heights, Ky., as the Norse will play host to the Queen City Invitational after UC (2016) and Xavier (2017) served as the rotating hosts recently. Following the opening meet on September 1 and a two-week break, the Bearcats will hit the road and travel to the John McNichols Invitational on September 15 in Terre Haute, Ind., or "Cross Country Town, USA" as it has been dubbed with its lengthy list of championship meets (conference, regional and national) hosted.
The final two regular season meets will follow the McNichols meet with the Bearcats first traveling to the Louisville on September 29 when they take part in the Greater Louisville Classic. Finally, UC will travel to Peoria, Ill., on October 12 where they will take part in the Bradley Pink Classic in the final tune-up before the championship season gets underway.
The first championship of the season will be up for grabs on October 25 as the American Athletic Conference Championships will take place in New Orleans for the first time. As the calendar turns to November, the Bearcats will turn their attention to the NCAA Great Lakes Region Championships as they will return to Terre Haute for the qualifying meet to the NCAA Championships in Madison, Wis., (November 17). The reach the national meet, teams need to finish in the Top 2 of their respective region or earn one of the 13 at-large berths. Individuals can also qualify to the national meet if they are one of the Top 4 finishers in the meet not on a team advancing to the national meet and a finisher in the Top 25 overall in the regional race.
Both UC squads are coming off a 2017 season that saw both the men and the women place ninth in the AAC Championships before both placed 21st in the Great Lakes meet.
// 2018 CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE
Sept. 1 • at Queen City Invitational • Highland Heights, Ky. (Northern Kentucky)
Sept. 15 • at John McNichols Invitational • Terre Haute, Ind. (Indiana State)
Sept. 29 • at Greater Louisville Classic • Louisville, Ky. (Louisville)
Oct. 12 • at Bradley Pink Classic • Peoria, Ill. (Bradley)
Oct. 25 • at AAC Championships • New Orleans, La. (AAC & Tulane)
Nov. 9 • at NCAA Great Lakes Regional • Terre Haute, Ind. (NCAA & Indiana State)
Nov. 17 • at NCAA Championships • Madison, Wis. (NCAA & Wisconsin)
"We are very excited about this year's schedule," Crofford said. "As tradition, we'll be competing head-to-head against our local rivals (Xavier and Northern Kentucky) to start the season before we head to the John McNichols Invitational, which will prep us for the regional meet held there later in the year. We've also added a few new meets in the Louisville Classic and the Bradley Pink Classic, both of which feature a very high level competition which should prepare us well for the AAC and regional meets."
The season will open across the river in Highland Heights, Ky., as the Norse will play host to the Queen City Invitational after UC (2016) and Xavier (2017) served as the rotating hosts recently. Following the opening meet on September 1 and a two-week break, the Bearcats will hit the road and travel to the John McNichols Invitational on September 15 in Terre Haute, Ind., or "Cross Country Town, USA" as it has been dubbed with its lengthy list of championship meets (conference, regional and national) hosted.
The final two regular season meets will follow the McNichols meet with the Bearcats first traveling to the Louisville on September 29 when they take part in the Greater Louisville Classic. Finally, UC will travel to Peoria, Ill., on October 12 where they will take part in the Bradley Pink Classic in the final tune-up before the championship season gets underway.
The first championship of the season will be up for grabs on October 25 as the American Athletic Conference Championships will take place in New Orleans for the first time. As the calendar turns to November, the Bearcats will turn their attention to the NCAA Great Lakes Region Championships as they will return to Terre Haute for the qualifying meet to the NCAA Championships in Madison, Wis., (November 17). The reach the national meet, teams need to finish in the Top 2 of their respective region or earn one of the 13 at-large berths. Individuals can also qualify to the national meet if they are one of the Top 4 finishers in the meet not on a team advancing to the national meet and a finisher in the Top 25 overall in the regional race.
Both UC squads are coming off a 2017 season that saw both the men and the women place ninth in the AAC Championships before both placed 21st in the Great Lakes meet.
// 2018 CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE
Sept. 1 • at Queen City Invitational • Highland Heights, Ky. (Northern Kentucky)
Sept. 15 • at John McNichols Invitational • Terre Haute, Ind. (Indiana State)
Sept. 29 • at Greater Louisville Classic • Louisville, Ky. (Louisville)
Oct. 12 • at Bradley Pink Classic • Peoria, Ill. (Bradley)
Oct. 25 • at AAC Championships • New Orleans, La. (AAC & Tulane)
Nov. 9 • at NCAA Great Lakes Regional • Terre Haute, Ind. (NCAA & Indiana State)
Nov. 17 • at NCAA Championships • Madison, Wis. (NCAA & Wisconsin)