High Point Announces 2018 Cross Country Schedule

HIGH POINT, N.C. — The 2018 High Point University cross country schedules have been announced by HPU men’s head coach Mike Esposito and women’s head coach Remy Tamer.

Highlighting the schedule will be the Panthers hosting the Big South Championships on Oct. 26 in Kernersville at the Ivey M. Redmon Sports Complex.

“This year’s competitive schedule is simple, but offers great advantages for us,” Tamer said. “With Big South Championships being at home and the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships being at Winthrop, we won’t have to travel far for the big fights. Also, our familiarity with both of the championship courses means one less item on our plates to plan for. Regardless, we will get a chance to preview Winthrop’s setup in September and will give everyone else a glimpse of HPU’s Big South course with our VertCross meet in October.

“Coach Esposito and I are excited about the potential of our young teams and are eager to get underway with the 2018 cross country season.”

HPU will begin the season on Sept. 1 at the Elon Opener in Elon. The Panthers will then travel to Rock Hill, S.C., site of the NCAA Southeast Regional, on Sept. 15 for the Winthrop Invitational.

The Purple & White will head north on Sept. 29 for the Paul Short Inviational hosted by Lehigh in Bethlehem, Pa.

“Outside of the championship courses, we have two races: the Elon Opener to start the momentum and the Paul Short Invitational to race a national-class field. Paul Short will be the mid-season test of how our men and women stack up in the NCAA.”

High Point then is home for the next two meets, hosting the third-annual VertCross Invitational in Kernersville, on Oct. 12 before the conference meet on Oct. 26.

The Panthers will then head back to Rock Hill for the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships on Nov. 9. The NCAA Championships will be held Nov. 17 in Madison, Wis.

The HPU women captured the Big South title for the third time in four years in 2017 and return rising sophomore Famke Heinst, who won the individual conference title and was named the Big South Runner of the Year.

The Panther men finished sixth at the Big South Championships and return rising sophomore Hocine Bouchrak, who during the outdoor track and field season earned honorable mention All-America honors in the 3,000m steeplechase.