ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University men's and women's cross country teams will compete at one of one of the largest NCAA Division II meets in the country this Saturday at the Rock Pre-Nationals at the Bob O'Connor Golf Course at Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Slippery Rock University will host the event, which will mark the first time runners will see the course that will be used for the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championships, Dec. 1, which will also be hosted by SRU.
There are 32 teams from 10 different states that are slated to compete, including six nationally-ranked teams on both the men's and women's sides, including three top-10 men's squads.
The Trojans will be joined by Ashland, Assumption, Bloomsburg, Cedarville, Charleston, Concord, Colorado School of Mines, Davis & Elkins, Edinboro, Fairmont State, Findlay, Gannon, Hillsdale, Indiana, Pa., Kutztown, Lake Erie, Lock Haven, Malone, Mercyhurst, Mount Olive, Palm Beach Atlantic, Queens, Roberts Wesleyan, Seton Hill, Slippery Rock, Tampa, Walsh, West Chester, West Liberty, West Virginia Wesleyan, and Wheeling Jesuit.
The Pre-Nationals will mark AU's first-ever appearance on the course, with both Trojan squads looking to get familiar with the course and make a return appearance in the Steel City in early December for the National Championships.
In mid-November, the Trojan women will be seeking their second-straight appearance in the NCAA Championship after becoming the first AU squad –
men's or women's – to capture a berth on the national stage a year ago. Last year, the Trojan men's team finished among the upper echelon at both the SAC Championship and at the NCAA Regionals and narrowly missed out on earning the program's first-ever appearance in the NCAA National Championships with a fourth-place finish at regionals.
The AU men's squad is coming off a fifth-place finish among D-II teams at last week's Royals Challenge in Charlotte and is ranked fifth in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's (USTFCCCA) Southeast Region Poll, while the Trojan women finished eighth in Charlotte and were fourth in this week's USTFCCA rankings.
EVENT DETAILS
• Location: Bob O'Connor Golf Course at Schenley Park (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
• GPS Address: 5370 Schenley Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15217
SCHEDULE
• 10:30 a.m. (EST): Men's 8,000m
• 11:30 a.m. (EST): Women's 6,000m
