UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — With the 2012 cross country campaign right around the corner, Director and Head Coach of Nittany Lion Track and Field/Cross Country Beth Alford-Sullivan has announced Nittany Lion’s fall slate of action. The Nittany Lion cross country squad will compete in a host of high level competitions throughout the 2012 campaign, including trips to Louisville and Wisconsin, leading up to the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships at the Blue/White Golf Courses.
Bolstered by a wealth of successful returners, and promising newcomers, the Nittany Lions will kick off the 2012 campaign with the annual Dolan Duals at Lock Haven on Aug. 31, featuring short courses for both genders with the women’s race set at 4,000-meters, and the men’s competition slated for 6,000-meters. The Nittany Lions will return home the following week, hosting their lone regular season competition of the season, with the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational on Sept. 8.
Following a pair of down weekends, the Nittany Lions will face their first road test of the season, traveling to the Greater Louisville Classic, hosted by the University of Louisville. In fact, the Louisville trip will serve as an NCAA preview, as the Cardinals are scheduled to host the 2012 NCAA Cross Country Championships in November, with the championships moving away from Indiana State University for the first time in nearly a decade.
The Nittany Lions will be back on the road two weeks later on Oct. 12, making the trip to the University of Wisconsin for the 2012 Wisconsin Adidas Invitational, which is slated to draw top talent from the Big Ten as well as across the country.
The Wisconsin appearance will be the Lions’ final tune up prior to the Big Ten Cross Country Championship, scheduled for Sunday, October 28 at Michigan State University. The Lions enjoyed an outstanding showing at the Big Ten Championships a year ago, with then-senior Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.) capturing the individual crown, and leading her Penn State teammates to the third-place effort in the team standings.
Penn State will then return to their home turf, hosting the 2012 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on Friday, Nov. 9, where bids for the NCAA Cross Country Championships will be decided. Both Lion squads turned in fourth-place finishes at the region championships last fall, with the women’s team moving on to the 13th-place effort at the NCAA Championships. The Blue/White Golf Courses also served as the host course of the NCAA Regional in 2010.
The 2012 campaign will end in Louisville, with the championships now set for a Saturday competition on Nov. 17. The NCAA meet had previously been contested on a Monday.
For more on Penn State cross country, go to www.GoPSUsports.com or follow on Twitter: @PennStateTFXC.
