Kentucky Cross Country Releases 2024 Schedule
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky Cross Country program released its schedule for the upcoming 2024 season on Tuesday, featuring four regular season meets, including two new meets, and the traditional postseason slate of SEC Championships and NCAA Regionals beginning in November.
The season will commence on August 30 at the Elmwood Estates Course in Richmond, Ky., as the Cats will take on EKU and Louisville at the EKU Triangular. This will be the third straight season that Kentucky has made the short trek down Interstate 75 to open its campaign.
After a one-week hiatus, the Cats will travel to Huntsville, Ala. on September 13 to participate in the Southern Showcase for the second-consecutive season. Hosted by Jacksonville State, the meet will take place at John Hunt Park, the site of several postseason meets, including the 2021 NCAA South Regional. At the 2022 edition of the meet, both the men’s and women’s squads took home fourth place finishes.
UKXC will continue its season on September 27, as it heads to Columbia, Mo. to take on a high-class field at the Gans Creek Classic. Hosted by Missouri, the event is one of two new additions to the 2024 schedule. The meet will take place at Gans Creek Cross Country Course, host of the 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
The Wildcats will close out the 2024 regular season on October 18 at the Bradley Pink Classic in Peoria, Ill. The Cats’ lone meet in October will take place on the Newman Golf Course, which is also a new stop for the program. The course has hosted multiple championship events, including the Missouri Valley Conference Championships and the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships.
As the calendar turns to November, postseason action will kick off at the SEC Championships on November 1. The 2024 edition of the annual event will be hosted by Texas A&M at the Watts Cross Country Course. A year ago, the Kentucky men carded an eighth-place finish while the women’s squad ended up in 12th. The Wildcats have won a total of seven SEC Cross Country Championships, as the men’s team boasts four to its name and the women’s program has collected three.
Following the conference championship meet, attention will turn to the NCAA Southeast Regional to be held on November 15. Hosted by Winthrop at Winthrop Farm in Rock Hill, S.C., teams from Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia will attempt to qualify for the National Championship meet, to be held on November 23 in Madison, Wisc. In 2023, the men’s team finished 14th and the women’s team finished 17th when the regional was held in Spartanburg, S.C.
Highlighted by 2023 All-SEC Freshman team member Ed Bird, the men’s team features eight returners and is complemented by eight newcomers. The women’s squad features 12 returners and eight newcomers.
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