W&M Women's Cross Country Announces 2005 Campaign

Team Takes Aim at Returning to NCAA Championship

08/15/05 4:42PM

WILLIAMSBURG, VA - First-year William and Mary women's cross country head coach Kathy Newberry announced on Monday the meet schedule for the two-time defending Colonial Athletic Association champions. In addition to the traditional end-of-season championships at the conference and regional levels, six races appear on the fall slate, including two home meets.

The season kicks off at home in the Colonial Invitational, held on the grounds of Eastern State Hospital on September 2nd. Next up, on September 10th, is the annual trek to Charlottesville for the Lou Onesty Invitational, and then a two-week break. National competition awaits in Cary, North Carolina, at the Great American Festival on the 24th, before the team enters a mid-season break from competition for three weeks.

The Tribe will familiarize themselves with the national championship course on October 15th at the Pre-Nationals Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana, which will feature many schools that figure to be in the NCAA meet. On the same day, team members that don’t make the trip to Terre Haute will contest the second home event of the year, the Tribe Open.

UNC Wilmington will host the CAA Championship this year on October 29th, and the next week will find the team at the UVA Open in Charlottesville on November 5th. November being championship month, the Tribe will compete in the Southeast Regional on November 12th, in Greenville, North Carolina. The top two teams at each regional gain automatic bids to the NCAA Championship, with the national field of 31 teams completed with at-large selections. The Southeast region is traditionally the deepest of the nine regions, and annually earns several at-large bids.

The season comes to a close with two national-level meets on the same weekend. On November 19th, Tribe runners will contest the 21st Annual ECAC Championship in New York City. Last season, runners from the College claimed four All-East honors and slotted into fourth place against a field of the top programs in the northeast. Two days later, the squad hopes to be competing at the NCAA Championship in Terre Haute, in what would be the program’s sixth NCAA appearance and first since 2002.

Women's Cross Country 2005 Schedule