The William and Mary cross country teams will welcome dozens of high schools from around the country and seven rival colleges Saturday morning for the 54th Annual W&M Cross Country Invitational.  The first high school race will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Eastern State Course, with the college men's 8K beginning at 9:45 a.m. and the college women's 5K at 10:45 a.m.

Complete Race Schedule
8:30 a.m. - Boys JV 5K
9:00 a.m. - Girls JV 5K
9:45 a.m. - College Men's 8K
10:15 a.m. - Boys Varsity "A" 5K
10:45 a.m. - College Women's 5K
11:15 a.m. - Girls Varsity "A" 5K
11:45 a.m. - Boys Varsity "B" 5K
12:15 a.m. - Girls Varsity "B" 5K

Eastern State Course Maps and Parking Directions

College Competitors
In addition to the Tribe, college teams competing include Christopher Newport, George Mason, Richmond, VCU, UNCW, and Hampton.

Scouting the Tribe
W&M has one race under its belt already, the Spider Alumni Open two weeks ago.  For the men, Rad Gunzenhauser (Pittsburgh, Pa.) won the 5K race and was named CAA Runner of the Week for his efforts in leading the Tribe to a third-place team finish.  For the women, Jess Cygan (Bethlehem, Pa.) took second overall and led W&M to the team title in a short two-mile competition.

Looking Ahead
This is the first of three races that W&M and Eastern State Hospital will host this season.  On October 13, the College will host the Tribe Open on Oct. 13, an individuals-only race that allows runners not already on the varsity squad to impress coaches and earn a spot on the conference championship team.

Two weeks later, on Homecoming Weekend (Oct. 27), W&M will host the Colonial Athletic Association Championships for the first time since 2001.  The Tribe men are looking for their 13th-straight conference crown, while the women are looking to regain the championship after two years finishing second to James Madison.

W&M will also host the Massey Cancer Center 5K on Friday afternoon, Nov. 2.  Through its long and productive partnership with the Massey Cancer Center (part of the Medical College of Virginia), the Tribe cross country and track and field teams have raised more than $100,000 to help the fight against cancer.  Registration and/or donations are now being accepted, at massey5k.com.