After a strong 2015 season, William and Mary is back with another busy schedule this fall. The Tribe will be looking to build on its success from last year, which included several quad meet victories for both the men and women.
Both teams open their seasons hosting the William and Mary College Invitational at the Eastern State Course in Williamsburg, Va., a meet both squads won last fall. They then travel to Charlottesville, Va. for the Panorama Farms Invitational, hosted by Virginia, to round out September.
The Tribe swept the CAA last year, the men taking home their 16th consecutive title and the women their fourth in a row, and will hope to repeat this feat in preparation for the NCAA Championships, which will follow shortly after.
To open up October, the Tribe makes its longest trek of the season up to Penn State for the Penn State National Invitational, a four-team meet which the College won last year. After another in-state meet hosted by Christopher Newport, both the men’s and women’s teams will compete in the Colonial Athletic Association Cross Country Championships, a competition the College has dominated for the last several years. The Tribe swept the CAA last year, the men taking home their 16th consecutive title and the women their fourth in a row, and will hope to repeat this feat in preparation for the NCAA Championships, which will follow shortly after.
Undoubtedly the greatest challenge for the Tribe will be the 2016 NCAA Cross Country Championships. The men finished 11th in the Southeastern Regionals last year, and were unable to qualify for the national meet. The women finished fourth of 33 in their Regional meet. Junior Reagan Rome qualified for the National Championships as a sophomore last year, and took 25th to earn All-American honors.
The success of the season will depend on how well the Tribe performs in the postseason meets, as both the men and women try to send as many participants as possible to the National Championships.