Elon Cross Country Hosts Fifth Annual Elon Invitational

ELON, N.C. – The Elon cross country teams return to action this week to host the fifth annual Elon Invitational this Saturday, Sept. 14. The Phoenix men and women will try to repeat as team champions with the women’s 5K race kicking off the event at 9 a.m. followed by the men’s 8K run at 9:45 a.m. on the Elon Cross Country Course.

This year’s field includes Averett University, Ferrum College, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, William Peace University and local and Southern Conference rival UNCG.

Meet Information
Information on the meet and the other competing teams can be found online at the Elon Invitational page on the cross country home page at elonphoenix.com.

Scouting Elon
The Phoenix is coming off a great season-opening performance at the Wake Forest Relays two weeks ago on Aug. 30. The women’s team captured the team title for the second consecutive year at the relay-style meet. The Elon pairing of junior Tereza Novotna and freshman Kimberly Johansen won the race on the women’s side with a time of 31:53 as the Phoenix women took three of the top five spots in the race.

On the men’s side, senior Ben Perron and junior Luis Vargas won the men’s title with a time of 36:00 as the maroon and gold men finished as the runner-up to host Wake Forest.

Elon’s History at the Invite
Both programs have performed well at its home meet since the event was created in 2009. Counting last season’s results, the men and women have won the event twice, including two straight for the women.

Last season, the Phoenix women took seven of the top eight spots individually in the 5K race. Junior Haylee Dawe was the top finisher for the maroon and gold with a time of 18:18 and crossing the line as the runner-up. Vargas finished as the runner-up in the men’s 8K race with a time of 25:37, heading the Phoenix male squad that placed five runners in the top-10.

Up Next
The Phoenix returns to action on Sept. 28, for the Charlotte Cross Country Invitational. The starting gun for the women’s 6K “Gold” race is scheduled at 8:30 a.m. followed by the men’s 8K “Gold” run beginning at 9 a.m. on the course at McAlpine Creek Park.