University of Richmond Athletics
Cross Country Announces 2014 Schedule
06/23/2014 | Cross Country
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. -- The Richmond men's and women's cross country programs announced its 2014 schedule Monday afternoon.
The 2014 schedule is highlighted by the Atlantic 10 Championships set for the weekend of Nov. 1 at Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, Pa. The last time the Spiders competed there was in 2010 when they were crowned Atlantic 10 Conference men's and women's team champions, before the men earned a berth to the NCAA DI Championships where they finished 24th.
“We feel these meets provide the high level of competition our teams need as we move towards the Championship part of the season,” said men's head cross country coach Steve Taylor. “Our schedule compliments our focus which is always to be at our best during championships. Quality competition is important for the growth and development of our teams.”
The Spiders open their 2014 slate with the Spider Alumni Open scheduled for Aug. 29 at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville. The men will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the women shortly following at 6 p.m. The meet will take on a new meaning this year serving as the USATF-Virginia State Championship event.
Richmond then travels to the United States Naval Academy for the Navy Salty Dog Invitational Saturday, Sept. 13. The Spiders travel to the Longwood Invitational a week later, before traveling to the Notre Dame Invitational Friday, Oct. 3 in South Bend, Ind.
On Saturday, Oct. 18, are on the road at the Princeton Invitational in Princeton, N.J. after hosting the Cross Country Only National Invitational the day before at Pole Green Park.
“We had to look at several things in putting together this year's cross country schedule,” said women's head cross country and track and field coach Lori Taylor. “We felt it very important for our team to travel outside of our region in order to secure points towards the NCAA at-large qualifying system. That led us to the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Pa. It's a great meet with national level of competition from across the NCAA. We are looking forward to a great year and seeing our programs compete throughout a challenging and competitive schedule.”
The Spiders then travel north to Pittsburgh, Pa., where Duquesne will host the Atlantic 10 Championships at Schenley Park Saturday, Nov. 1. The meet is set to begin at 10 a.m.
Richmond will then compete at the NCAA Southeast Region Championships on Nov. 14. From there, Richmond will run at the NCAA Championships Nov. 22 in Terre Haute, Ind.
Stay updated on all the latest Richmond Cross Country news on RichmondSpiders.com and by accessing Spider Athletics' mobile apps on your Smartphone or tablet. More in-depth coverage can be found by following Head Coach Steve Taylor on Twitter and by reading his blog. The Spiders also have their own Facebook page and have launched their own YouTube Video Channel.
