FLORENCE, Alabama (July 9, 2024) – Evans Kiptoo, head coach of the University of North Alabama cross country team, announced the men’s and women’s cross country schedule for the 2024 season on Tuesday, revealing the five regular season events for both programs.
The same schedule applies to both the men’s and women’s teams throughout the season.
“This year we are only hosting one meet on Sept. 7 here in Florence, but we will have other high-profile meets in nearby cities,” said Kiptoo, who is entering his second season as leader. “We are participating in the pre-regional meet hosted by Florida State, which gives our athletes the opportunity to run the South Region course before the actual regional championship later in the season.”
The season begins on Saturday, August 31, at the City Auto Memphis Twilight Classic, hosted by Christian Brothers University at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex in Memphis, Tennessee. The Lions also competed in this competition last season, with the men finishing sixth out of 19 teams and the women finishing tenth out of 20 teams.
As usual, the Lions will host the annual UNA Invitational at McFarland Park. This meet will take place on Saturday, September 7th and is free and open to the public. Last season, both the UNA men and women won this event, including an individual victory by the rising seniors Gracie Mathews.
Six days after the home opener, the Lions will be at John Hunt Park for the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Alabama, hosted by Jacksonville State. Two weeks later, the Lions will close out the month of September with the FSU Pre-Regional Meet on Sept. 27, hosted by Florida State.
The regular season ends in Tuscaloosa, where the Lions run in the Crimson Classic, hosted by Alabama at Harry Pritchett Running Park. This will be the only meet of the month, giving UNA runners time to prepare for the postseason.
The 2024 Atlantic Sun Conference Championships will be held on Saturday, November 2nd and will be hosted by Stetson in DeLand, Florida. After that, UNA will return to Tallahassee to compete in the 2024 NCAA South Regionals hosted by Florida State. The NCAA Championship will be held on November 23rd in Wisconsin.
All schedules are subject to change. Times for each meeting will be announced at a later date.
For more information about North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Þjórsárden And Instagram.
