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Cross Country Releases 2020 Schedule

Photo By Stephen Bates
Photo By Stephen Bates
Posted: Mar 26, 2020

2020 SCHEDULE

CHICAGO—The Illinois Institute of Technology cross country teams have released their 2020 schedule, which will feature five regular season meets followed by a pair of postseason events. The Scarlet Hawks will kick-off the 2020 campaign at Eldridge Park in Elmhurst, Illinois for the Elmhurst Early Bird Invitational on September 4, which will provide a solid grasp of where things are at going into the meat of their schedule.

"Kicking-off at the Elmhurst Early Bird Invite will be a great opportunity to see where we're at after not having an official meet since March due to COVID-19 shutting down our outdoor season," said Illinois Tech head cross country coach Tyler McQuality. "They put on a great meet and it will be awesome to see our student-athletes back competing in an Illinois Tech uniform after a long layoff."

The Scarlet Hawks will compete at the Purdue Northwest Classic in Westville, Illinois on September 11 before they embark on the Aurora Spartan Classic at the Oakhurst Forest Preserve in Aurora, Illinois on September 18. The Aurora meet will give Illinois Tech an all-exclusive look at what they'll endure at the NACC Championship on October 31. Any exploitations that course may have on the Scarlet Hawks will give them preparation to handle it in the postseason.

"It will be great to get on a very familiar course for our team as we've competed there three times over the past three years," said McQuality. "It will host conference again, which gives us more experience to use down the road." 

Next up for Illinois Tech will be the prestigious Augustana (Ill.) Brissman-Lundeen Invitational at the Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island, Illinois on October 2. The overcrowding of teams forces the event to be split into two races per gender. The Scarlet Hawks will relish the opportunity to square-off against the region's heavy hitters. 

"The first big invitational we will travel to in the fall," said McQuality. "It gives us an opportunity to run a course we're not familiar with, to see what we're working with for regionals and race against the top teams in our region."

Illinois Tech will wrap-up their regular season at the Pre-National Invitational on October 17, hosted by Rose-Hulman at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana. The 2020 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship will host the course on November 21.

"This is the second big meet we'll travel to this season," said McQuality. "It will be an exciting and historic course with the best teams in NCAA Division III.

The Scarlet Hawks will compete at the 2020 NACC Championship in Aurora, Illinois on October 31, followed by the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional in Rock Island, Illinois on November 14.

"We want to be at our best at the end of the year, so that means conference and regionals," said McQuality. "Last year we definitely tailed off physically, mentally and emotionally during this time. We know where things need to change this year so that doesn't happen again. Coach Meyer and I have designed the schedule with that in mind."