CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Charlotte men's and women's cross country teams will kick-off their 2012 season on Friday, Aug. 31 when they compete in the Western Carolina Invitational in Cullowhee.
Teams participating in the invitational are the University of Florida, UNC-Asheville, Winthrop, Gardner-Webb, North Greenville, and Warren Wilson. The women's two-mile race will begin at 6 p.m., followed immediately by the men's 5-K event.
It is the tenth time since 2000 that WCU has hosted the event. The Catamounts men's and women's teams finished second in their event last year, while Florida won the event on both sides.
On the women's side, Charlotte enters the meet as the only team ranked in the Southeast region. The 49ers were ranked 11th in the NCAA Southeast Region preseason poll. Florida was selected third in the South region preseason poll. Florida also represents the only men's team with a regional ranking. The Gators are third in the South region.
The 49ers have been hard at work for the past three weeks to prepare for the upcoming season. Both teams return most of their top runners from last season. Charlotte welcomed an impressive 2012 recruiting class to the program who will get their first taste of collegiate cross country on Friday.
Charlotte plans to put its competitive edge to the test at the WCU Invitational. However it knows that this opening meet will not be the single predictor of its season.
"We're really excited about the start of the season," Charlotte coach Ed Schlichter said. "This first meet is going to give us a feel of what we're doing well and what we need to work on. We'll use this meet as more of a fitness test, but we definitely plan on competing well and accomplishing goals."
Following the WCU Invitational, the 49ers will host the Charlotte Duals on Saturday, Sep. 9 at the Frank Liske Park in Concord beginning at 9 a.m.
|
Welcome to the Charlotte 49ers Athletic Foundation! If you wish to make a contribution to the Annual Giving Campaign or Let Me Play (fundraiser for women's athletics), you can do so online or by calling the Athletic Foundation at (704) 687-1047/4950. Football Parking - please note the following areas are sold out: Green CRI 1, Green CRI 1A, Green CRI 3, Green CRI 3A, Orange CRI Deck Rooftop and Yellow Union Deck Rooftop. This system will give you full access to your own personal account and display donations and pledges to the Charlotte 49ers Athletic Foundation. Please Note: If you have ever contributed to the Athletic Foundation, you have an existing account and should login using that information. Please do not create a second account. If you are unsure of your account status or need your login information, please contact the Athletic Foundation at (704) 687-4950/1047. If your gift will be accompanied by a matching gift from your employer please do not make your gift online. Contact the Athletic Foundation at (704)687-1047 for information of contributions with a matching gift. If you are a new member and have not participated in any of the ways mentioned above, please create a new account below and make a pledge to our current campaign. |