July 24, 2012

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Led by new Kentucky track and field and cross country head coach Edrick Floreal, the Wildcats announced their 2012 cross country schedule Tuesday.

The Wildcats will open their 2012 season Aug. 31 in Nashville, Tenn., at the Belmont-VU Opener. The meet, which will be held at Nashville’s Percy Warner Park, will help the Cats get acclimated to Vaughn’s Gap Course, which will also host the Southeastern Conference Championships on Oct. 26. Kentucky’s men’s team, led by a first-place finish from Luis Orta, won the 2011 Belmont-VU Opener, while the women’s team finished third.

Following the Belmont-VU Opener, Kentucky will head to Charlottesville, Va., for the Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational Sept. 22 at 10:00 a.m. The Kentucky men finished fourth at last year’s meet, led by a fifth-place individual finish from Orta. The women’s team finished seventh last year at the Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational.

On Sept. 29, the Wildcats will get their first run of the year at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park, as they compete in the eighth annual Greater Louisville Classic. The Kentucky men finished eighth at last year’s meet, while the women placed 18th.

Two weeks later, UK will return to Louisville to compete in the Pre-Nationals meet, which serves as a pre-cursor for the national championships. The meet is being held in the city of Louisville for the first time, and will feature many of the traditional cross country powerhouses.

The SEC Championships will take place two weeks later on Oct. 26 in Nashville. The Kentucky men finished fourth at last year’s SEC Championships, which was held in Maryville, Tenn., and the women finished eighth.

The NCAA Southeast Regional meet will be held in Charlotte, N.C., on Nov. 9 at McAlpine Creek Park. It is the first time Charlotte, N.C., has hosted the NCAA Southest Regional.

The cross country season will conclude Saturday, Nov. 17 with the NCAA Championships in Louisville. Louisville will be hosting the meet for the first time in its history. For nine of the past 10 years, the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships have taken place in Terre Haute, Ind.

For all Kentucky cross country news and information, go to UKathletics.com.

2012 Kentucky Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Schedule