THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – A mix of returning and incoming athletes on both the men’s and women’s sides will contribute to the Cal Lutheran cross country program in 2014 as the joint schedule was released by head coach Matt Lea earlier this week.
“We are anxious to get back out on the course this fall,” he went on, “As always we hope to use our rigorous preseason training regimen and non-conference schedule to build up for the two SCIAC meets in late October and early November.”
After the seventh annual Cal Lutheran time trial on Friday, August 29 at the Ventura Bike Path in Ventura, Calif. the teams will begin intercollegiate action on Saturday, Sept. 6 at the Adidas/UC Irvine Invitational, which is set to begin at 8:00 a.m. at ARC Fields.The opening meet will be on a familiar course as the Violet and Gold have run at UCI each of the last two seasons.
A week later, CLU will travel to the UC Riverside Invitational, a site the team has not competed at since 2011, and follow up with a second consecutive appearance at the Mustang Challenge on Sept. 13 and 20, respectively. The start time for UCR is 7:30 a.m. while harriers will toe the line at Central Park in Santa Clarita at 8:00 a.m. for the race on the 20th hosted by The Master’s.
Another well-known course at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational will present the Kingsmen and Regals an opportunity to compete with many league opponents for the first time on Oct. 4. Races begin at 7:45 a.m. on a trail that will lead runners through campus with a finish on the powder blue track.
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) competition gets underway at the Multi-Duals for the only weekday meet of the season as student-athletes will gather in La Mirada Park on Friday, Oct. 17 at 4:30 p.m.
A two weeks hiatus will allow runners to regroup before the most highly touted competition of the season. On Saturday, Nov. 1, the SCIAC Championships are set to take place at Prado Park in Chino Hills, Calif. where all nine conference teams will gather for the final league meet of 2014. The starting gun will go off at 9:00 a.m. with a SCIAC champion being crowned at the conclusion of each race as determined by a combination of points earned at the Multi-Duals and Championships.
Qualifiers will advance to compete at the NCAA Division III Cross Country West Regionals in Salem, Ore. on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 11:00 a.m. with the top tier of runners moving on to the NCAA Division III National Championships in Mason, Ohio on Nov. 22.
Release: 2014 Men’s Schedule
Release: 2014 Women’s Schedule
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