BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University cross country teams return to action this weekend with a pair of meets spread across the country.
A contingent of 14 Vikings (7 men, 7 women) travel to Romeoville, Illinois for the Division II Conference Crossover Invitational hosted by Lewis University. The men's 8,000-meter race is scheduled to begin at 10 am CT/8 am PT, with the women's 6,000-meter race following at 10:45 am CT/8:45 am PT. The race will be held on the Lewis XC Course and will feature over 30 teams from 15 different stats.
Here is a look at WWU's lineup for the Fourth Annual Conference Crossover Invitational:
The remaining team members are scheduled to race at the
Emerald City Open hosted by Club Northwest at Lower Woodland Park in Seattle. The women's 6K is scheduled to begin at 10:30 am, with the men's 8K following at 11:15 am. Great Northwest Athletic Conference counterparts Seattle Pacific and Alaska Fairbanks are also scheduled to compete in the Emerald City Open.
"We have been training hard and looking forward to getting back in competition mode after the off week," said head coach
Pee Wee Halsell, in his 32
nd season directing the Vikings track & field and cross country programs. "We are a little dinged up on the men's side for the trip to Illinois, but it is a good opportunity for a few runners to step up. Once we hit October, we know the big races are coming up and this is when we need to start focusing on ramping up to a great finish to the season. I am looking forward to seeing the results of both teams compete this weekend."
WWU was off last weekend, after sweeping the podium at the Saint Martin's Ken Garland Classic on Sept. 22 in Lacey. Western's men are currently ranked 6
th in the competitive West Region and just out of the national top 25 in the Oct. 3 edition of the USTFCCCA NCAA Division II poll. The Viking women are listed 9
th in the West Region heading into this weekend's competition.
After another off weekend, the Vikings return to action for the
45th Annual WWU Cross Country Classic that will be held October 20 at Sudden Valley Golf Course in Bellingham. The WWU Classic will be the final regular-season meet for the Vikings before heading to the GNAC Championships Nov. 3 in Monmouth, Oregon and the NCAA II West Regional in Billings, Montana.
Here is a look at the 2018 WWU Cross Country schedule. Times and more detail on each event can be found online at
WWUVikings.com/XC:
|
DATE
|
MEET
|
PLACE
|
|
Sept. 15 (Sat.)
|
Central Washington Invitational
|
Ellensburg, WA (Rotary Park)
|
|
Men: 1st, Women: 2nd (Meet Results)
|
|
Sept. 22 (Sat.)
|
Ken Garland Classic
|
Lacey, WA (Saint Martin's Campus)
|
|
Men: 1st, Women: 1st (Meet Results)
|
|
Oct. 6 (Sat.)
|
Division II Conference Crossover
|
Romeoville, IL (Lewis Cross Country Course)
|
|
|
|
Oct. 6 (Sat.)
|
Emerald City Open
|
Seattle, WA (Lower Woodland Park)
|
|
|
|
Oct. 20 (Sat.)
|
45th Annual WWU Classic
|
Bellingham, WA (Sudden Valley Golf Course)
|
|
|
|
Nov. 3 (Sat.)
|
GNAC Championships
|
Monmouth, OR (Ash Creek Preserve)
|
|
|
|
Nov. 17 (Sat.)
|
NCAA Division II West Regional
|
Billings, MT (Amend Park)
|
|
|
|
Dec. 1 (Sat.)
|
NCAA DII Championships
|
Pittsburgh, PA (Cooper's Lake Campground)
|
