Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. – Virginia Tech will host three home meets in 2011, the school announced Monday, as it unveiled the men’s and women’s cross country schedule. All three home meets (Sept. 2, Sept. 30 and Nov. 4) will be held at the Tech Cross Country Course on campus in Blacksburg.
“We’re excited about the upcoming cross country season,” said Head Cross Country and Distance Coach Ben Thomas. “With the runners we have returning, we’re anticipating a strong season from both the men’s and women’s teams.”
The season begins with the first home meet on Friday, Sept. 2 as the Hokies host the Virginia Tech Crane/Alumni Invitational. On Friday, Sept. 16, the Hokies will travel to Clemson, S.C. for the Clemson Invitational at Musser Farms, which is also the site of the 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Meet.
On Friday, Sept. 30, Tech will split runners between two different races. Hokie runners will either compete on campus at the Virginia Tech Open or travel to Charlotte, N.C. for the UNC Charlotte Invitational. Two weeks later, the Hokies will run in two meets once again, the first being on Friday, Oct. 14 at the Appalachian State Invitational in Boone, N.C. The Hokies will then get a preview of the national meet course on Sunday, Oct. 16, when they will run at the Indiana State Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind. To end the month of the October, Tech will return to Clemson on Saturday, Oct. 29 for the 2011 ACC Championships.
The final home meet of the season will be the Hokie Open on Friday, Nov. 4 and will serve as a tune-up prior to the NCAA Southeast Regional on Saturday, Nov. 12, which will once again be held at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky. The NCAA Championship is set for Monday, Nov. 21 in Terre Haute, Ind.
“The schedule gives us an opportunity to preview two championship courses,” said Thomas. “Our first away meet is at Clemson, site of this year’s ACC Championship, and we will also get a preview of the national meet course at Indiana State in October.”
Virginia Tech returns an All-Region performer in sophomore Paige Kvartunas, who helped the Hokie women to a fifth place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional Meet a year ago. The men return five of their seven runners from the regional line-up last year and welcome back four upperclassmen who redshirted in 2010, including All-ACC performers Will Mulherin and Michael Hammond.
The complete schedule can be viewed here.