William and Mary Releases 2006 Cross Country Schedule

Tribe Fans Have Three Opportunities to See Teams in Williamsburg

06/23/06 3:55PM

WILLIAMSBURG - Head coaches Alex Gibby and Kathy Newberry are pleased to announce today the 2006 cross country schedule for both the men and women’s teams. Six regular-season meets lead up to the four championships the Tribe is eligible for, including two intercollegiate events in Williamsburg. Additionally, the College will host the 48th Annual High School Invitational in September, and a “Run for the Cure” fundraiser for the Massey Cancer Center in November.

The fall opens at the University of Virginia’s Lou Onesty Invitational on September 9th. Last season, the women’s team took second behind the host Cavaliers and the men were third on their side at Panorama Farms in Charlottesville. One week later, the Tribe will travel to conference foe James Madison to take part in their Collegiate Open on September 16th. After breaking to run the High School Invitational on September 23rd, W&M opens a two-meet home stand on September 30th with the Colonial Inter-Regional. The first running for this event will feature, among others, traditional powerhouses Georgetown and La Salle and SEC title-contender Alabama.

Two weeks later, the College’s teams will split to handle two events on the same day, October 14th. The top runners for both the men and the women will travel to Terra Haute, Indiana, to compete once again in the Brooks Pre-National Invitational. Held on the same course as the NCAA Championships, the Pre-Nationals are one of the best-regarded national showcases, typically bringing together close to 100 teams for both the men and women. Last season, the Tribe men tied for sixth place in their 34-team section, and the women finished 12th in their race. The rest of the teams will race at Eastern State Hospital in Williamsburg in the Tribe Open. Last season, both sides defeated five state and regional opponents in the race.

After another two week break, the teams will look to defend their Colonial Athletic Association titles in the conference championship race, hosted by the University of Delaware in Newark on October 27th. The men’s team is the six-time defending champion, and a Tribe harrier has won the individual title for the past five years, most recently junior Ian Fitzgerald (Glenshaw, PA) last fall. The women’s team is working a streak of their own, with the past three championship trophies residing in Williamsburg. Both sides are tied for third in CAA history for the most team titles in a sport at 13, behind only the W&M women’s tennis team (18 crowns) and Old Dominion’s women’s basketball team (15 titles).

The final regular meet of the year returns the Tribe to Charlottesville on November 4th for the Cavalier Open. Traditionally a meet that showcases younger runners that will star in later years, the Cavalier was won last year by the Tribe on the men’s side, 15-50 over the University of Missouri. Also on November 4th, the harriers that don’t travel to UVA will host the Massey Cancer Center “Run for the Cure” on campus. Over the years, the cross country and track and field programs at W&M have raised over $100,000 for the Massey Cancer Center.

The championships resume in earnest on November 11th with the Southeast Regional at the University of Louisville. One of nine qualifying meets for the NCAA Championships, the Southeast Regional brings together teams from Virginia, the Carolinas, and Kentucky. The top two teams from each region automatically qualify for the NCAA meet, along with 13 teams and 38 individuals selected from across all regions that earn at-large invitations. Last season, the men’s side won its eighth regional title, and the women upset 24th-ranked North Carolina to finish fifth in the region and earn their first trip to the national championships since 2002.

The final weekend of the season is right before Thanksgiving, and features two championship meets. On November 18th, the Tribe will compete for the East Coast Championships at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, New York City. Run under the auspices of the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America (IC4A) for the men and the East Coast Athletic Conference for the women, Easterns are open to any college from the Mid-Atlantic and New England states, as well as any university that has half of its schedule against those schools. This year will be the 98th running of the IC4A Championships, and the 22nd running of the ECAC Championships.

The NCAA Championships will be hosted by Indiana State University on Monday, November 20th, in Terre Haute, Indiana. The championship course is 10 kilometers for the men and 6 kilometers for the women. William and Mary’s men’s team has been to every national championship since 1997, a string of nine consecutive appearances that only five other colleges in the nation can match. The women’s team will be aiming for its second consecutive appearance and seventh overall after finishing 23rd last season.