St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Announces 2012 Cross Country Schedule
8/7/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Aug. 7, 2012
QUEENS, N.Y. -
- Cross Country Schedule
- Cross Country Schedule (PDF)
St. John's head cross country coach Jim Hurt has announced the 2012 cross country schedule that features six meets in New York state and nine races overall.
The Red Storm will also serve as host for this year's BIG EAST Cross Country Championship as the race comes to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.
"We are looking forward to our 2012 cross country schedule that is highlighted by the BIG EAST Championship at Van Cortlandt Park the last Friday in October," said Hurt. "Our schedule has us competing with the top teams in the country on historic courses and at top rated cross country venues."
The season begins with a trip to Bethpage State Park for the Hofstra Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 8. The following week, the Red Storm competes once again on Long Island in the C.W. Post Invite in Brookville, N.Y. on Saturday, Sept. 15. The team will then get a two week rest period before it stretches to the 6K format at the Paul Short Invite in Bethlehem, Pa. on Friday, Sept. 28.
"Our early September meets at The Hofstra & C.W. Post Invitationals will give our young team the chance to get in some collegiate cross country running before heading out to the Paul Short Invite at Lehigh, one of the premier cross country events in the country," said Hurt.
The fourth meet of the cross country slate is the annual Metropolitan Championships at Van Cortlandt Park on Friday, Oct. 8. The Red Storm looks to improve upon its third place finish at the event in 2011. The Metropolitan Championship is followed by the St. John's Cross Country Fall Festival on Sunday Oct. 14 which will once again be run at Cunningham Park in Queens, N.Y. The Fall Festival has become a great opportunity for the alumni, fans and friends of St. John's cross country and track & field to gather together and celebrate the program.
Championship season starts as the Red Storm hosts the 2012 BIG EAST Cross Country Championship at Van Cortlandt Park on Friday, Oct. 26. The conference championship is one of the most grueling meets in the country as the last three national cross country champions have come from the BIG EAST.
The Red Storm then must prepare for the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship on Saturday, Nov. 10. The site of the meet has yet to be announced. St. John's will return to Van Cortlandt Park for one last race with the ECAC Championships on Saturday, Nov. 17. If St. John's were to qualify for the NCAA Championships; however, the team would travel to Louisville, Ky. that weekend instead.
"Our season concludes with the NCAA Regional meet and ECAC Championships where we will try to advance to the NCAA Championship and conclude our season as one of the top rated teams in the Eastern United States," said Hurt.
The Red Storm will attempt to do this while replacing a trio of graduating seniors, but a solid group of returning runners will allow the team to continue building. Seniors Michelle Duffy and Alexis Bean have plenty of experience competing in the BIG EAST and ECAC and were consistent contributors throughout all of last season. Juniors Chelsea Trant and Angela Jarvela will also be counted on to help the Red Storm keep pace with the area's best teams.
Players Mentioned
