Finally the season has arrived. Though this is a holiday weekend and school has yet to start, thankfully that is, there is still a full slate of Invitationals this weekend to open the XC season in a big way! Check out which meets are on top here.
Meets Scheduled This Weekend:
| 08/28 |
 |
Manassas, VA |
| 08/29 |
Christopher Newport University
|
Newport News, VA |
| 08/29 |
Minutemen Invitational
Denbigh Baptist
|
Newport News, VA |
| 08/29 |
Mt. St. Mary's Duals
Mt. St. Mary's University
|
Emmitsburg, MD |
| 08/29 |
Spider Alumni Open
University of Richmond
|
Mechanicsville, VA |
| 08/29 |
USATF Virginia Association State Cross Country Championships
University of Richmond
|
Mechanicsville, VA |
| 08/30 |
4th Annual "Through The Pines" Lebanon XC Invitational
Lebanon
|
Lebanon, VA |
| 08/30 |
Blacksburg High School
|
Blacksburg, VA |
| 08/30 |
Central High School Cross Country Invitational
Central (Woodstock)
|
Woodstock, VA |
| 08/30 |
Chancellor
|
Fredericksburg, VA |
| 08/30 |
Flying with the Eagles Invitational
Franklin County
|
Rocky Mount, VA |
| 08/30 |
Patriot High School
 |
Nokesville, VA |
Key Meets To Watch:
This invitational will be the official start to the XC season so of course it is one to keep an eye on. It is also one of the largest meets this weekend with a total of 12 teams competing running the Bull Regional Park Course in Centreville, VA. Of the teams at this meet there is one big team to watch and that is Lake Braddock who are one of the favorites on the boys side and also home to the top returning 6A runner Alex Corbett.
USATF Virginia State Championships
Though this isn't technically a high school only event, it is one to watch to see how yielding Pole Green will be this season and also how some unattached runners are running prior to the season starting. Not to mention this is where the MileStat.com XC Invitational will be held and man is that going to be a big meet.
This will be by far the largest invitational of the weekend with a whopping 22 teams slated to compete here. This meet will be run at (22 Teams) Loriella Park in Fredericksburg. This meet will also feature some great competition from both Maryland and Virginia. One of the teams to keep an eye on here will be Moutain View who are one of the top teams in the 5A classification.
The 2014 Prince William Invitational will be a meet to watch because of who it is hosted by, Patriot High School. This meet will be held at Nokesville Park in, you guessed it, Nokesville Virginia. Patriot is one of the top teams this year in 6A for girls.
The final meet to watch this weekend is the Blacksburg Relays to be held as the first race on Blacksburg's new XC course. During our practice visit last outdoor season we were able to get a sneak peak at the course and man is it something! Though it looks perfect and was built very thoughtfully, the true test of a course can only be done by a runner and a race. This race, though unconventional, will shed some insight into this new course that already this year is hosting three invitationals, a conference and a regional championship meet.