Aug. 7, 2008
Lexington, Ky. – The University of Kentucky Wildcats released the 2008 cross country schedule Thursday. After running the majority of their meets in the Bluegrass state last season, the UK squads will travel outside state lines for each competition this fall.
The Wildcats will look to improve upon their results from last season. Last November at the NCAA Southeast Regional in Louisville the UK women’s squad finished fourth overall, narrowly missing an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships. A young Wildcat men’s squad finished 12th overall at the regional. Both teams improved four places from the 2006 season.
The Wildcats open the season at the Brooks Memphis Twilight Classic on the evening of Sept.13. The Twilight is recognized as the largest night-time cross country meet east of the Mississippi River. The women’s 5K run at dusk is followed by the men’s 8K race.
A week later, the Blue and White will travel to the Big Apple for the Iona Meet of Champions on Sept. 20. The Wildcats open the month of October at the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend, Ind., on the third. Two weeks later on Oct. 18, Kentucky returns to the Hoosier state for the always competitive Pre-National meet in Terre Haute, Ind., also the location of the NCAA Championships in late November.
UK begins post-season competition at the Southeastern Conference Championships hosted by Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss., on Nov. 3. The Cats travel east on Nov. 15 to compete in the NCAA Southeast Regional hosted by Wake Forest in Clemmons, N.C. Kentucky wraps up its schedule with a return trip to Terre Haute on Nov. 24.
“Our schedule is full of limitless potential,” said second-year assistant coach for distance and cross country John Mortimer. “Our athletes will have an opportunity to travel to some great places from New York City to Mississippi. The level of competition will be demanding, but we will have an opportunity to maximize our teams’ chances of qualifying for the NCAA National Championships by beating other strong teams at meets like the Notre Dame Invite and the Pre-National Meet.”
Stay tuned to UKathletics.com all season for the latest Kentucky cross country news.
University of Kentucky 2008 Cross Country Schedule
Sat. Sept. 13 Memphis Twilight Classic (Memphis, Tenn.)
Sat. Sept. 20 Iona Meet of Champions (Bronx, N.Y.)
Fri. Oct. 3 Notre Dame Invitational (South Bend, Ind.)
Sat. Oct.18 Pre-National Meet (Terre Haute, Ind.)
Mon. Nov. 3 SEC Championships (Starkville, Miss.)
Sat. Nov. 15 NCAA Southeast Regional (Clemmons, N.C.)
Mon. Nov.24 NCAA Championships (Terre Haute, Ind.)
