WASHINGTON – On tap this fall are six races prior to the NCAA Championships for the American University cross country teams, as announced by head coach Sean Graham.

"The competition schedule we've created this year has a good combination of new and familiar courses," said Graham. "The early season meets have variety that will challenge and prepare our athletes well for the later season championship competition. Along with that, we have very good non-racing periods to continue to train hard during the season."

REGULAR SEASON

• The Eagles will be competing at three non-championship events in the month of September starting with the Richmond Spider Alumni Open on Saturday, Sept. 2.
• The following weekend, American will go on a short jaunt to Annapolis, Md. for the Navy XC Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 9, and AU will close out the month of September with its sixth straight appearance in the prestigious Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pa, on Sept. 30.
• The Paul Short run will also serve as a course preview for those that haven't run it before, as the NCAA Regional Championships will be held there in November.

CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON

• The IC4A Championships are set for Oct. 13 in Yonkers, N.Y., which the Eagles hope will be good preparation for the Patriot League Championships on Oct. 28. 
• Just two weeks later, the squad will be back in New York, this time upstate in Hamilton, for the PL Championships at Colgate.
• The Eagles will then make a return to Bethlehem, Pa. for the NCAA Regional Championships on Nov. 10, and battle for spots at the NCAA Championship in Charlottesville, Va. on Nov. 18.

FRESH FACES

• The Eagles are excited to welcome seven freshmen to the 2023 cross country squad.
• On the women's side Scarlett Lestina, Estella Miller, Amy O'Connell, and Hannah Puckett will make their AU debut this year.
• On the men's side sophomore Jack Chandler will compete in his first cross country season after joining the team mid-way through the fall of 2022. He will be joined by newcomers and first years Mathias Deldicque, Hayden Hauser, and David Manfredi.

STAY CONNECTED

• For the latest on American University Cross Country, stay tuned to AUEagles.com and follow the team on Twitter (@AU_TrackXC) and Instagram (@AU_TrackXC).