The Berkeley College Department of Athletics announced the 2017 schedules for its men's and women's cross country teams on Tuesday afternoon. Both squads are hungry and motivated to build on what was a pair of very successful 2016 campaigns which saw both genders score in every respective meet that they participated in. The 2016 season culminated with the Knights' men's and women's squads competing at the USCAA National Championships in Virginia Beach, VA.
The 2017 campaign will feature six meets during the regular season before the teams compete at the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships, and prospectively the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Championships. Both squads will begin their seasons at the Roadrunner Invitational on Friday, September 1. The women's race will start at 5:30pm, while the men's dash is scheduled to start at 6:00pm. 16 days later – the Knights will participate in the Queensborough College Invitational on September 17 (women's race begins at 10:00am, with the men starting at 11:00am). September closes with the teams competing in the Bard Raptors Invitational on the 23rd of the month (women at 11:00am, men at 11:45am), and the Mount St. Mary's (N.Y.) Invitational on the 30th (women – 11:00am, men – noon).
October will feature the Knights' final three regular season races, with an October 7 trip to Branch Brook Park for the Highlander Cross Country Challenge (both genders begin competing at 11:00am), and a ride to Caldwell University for the Cougar Chase (men at 11:00am, women at 11:45am). Berkeley will then compete for HVIAC championships on Sunday, October 29, and will potentially run in the USCAA National Championship races in Virginia Beach on Friday, November 10. Head Coach Michael Lincoln gave his thoughts on the 2017 schedule.
"I expect that the Ramapo Invitational will be one of our tougher races, especially because the course terrain can be difficult to navigate", Lincoln said. "Also, the first race jitters and the anticipated higher temperature for this early September race present additional challenges to our runners. These challenges will certainly be good litmus tests and will test our resolve as pursue the ultimate goal of winning a championship." Lincoln added, "The Ramapo Invitational at Garret Mountain is always tough. The competition consists of NCAA Division III runners, and Ramapo is consistently one of the top teams in New Jersey. I do feel that the great experience that our returning runners enjoyed last year will help them in their quest to once again compete at the Nationals this November. We're all excited for the challenges ahead of us!"
The 2017 Berkeley College men's and women's cross country schedules can be accessed by clicking the links below:
