WILLIAMSBURG — William & Mary director of track & field and cross country Alex Heacock announced the 2024 cross country schedule on Wednesday. The schedule features five regular-season events with the CAA Championships set for November at Elon.
W&M opens the season close to home for the second year in a row and seventh time in the last nine seasons, competing at the Spider Alumni Open at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, Va., on Saturday, Aug. 31. Last season, the Tribe finished second on the women’s side and fourth in the men’s race.
The Tribe will race twice in the month of September. First, the Green and Gold makes the short trip to compete in the CNU XC Invitational for the second time in three seasons on Friday, Sept. 13. W&M also takes part in the Adidas XC Challenge on Friday, Sept. 20. It marks the second-straight season the Tribe has taken part in the Raleigh, N.C. event. W&M was second in both the men’s and women’s races in 2023.
October competition gets underway with the Tribe’s first trip to the Pirate Cross Country Invitational on Friday, Oct. 4. East Carolina hosts the event on its course at Overton’s Lake Kristi.
The Tribe heads to the Panorama Farms XC Invitational in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday, Oct. 19. It marks the fourth-straight season W&M will compete at the event.
The Championship season starts with the CAA Championships on Friday, Nov. 1. The conference meet returns to the Elon Cross Country Course for the first time since 2017. Last season, the men’s team placed third at the CAA Championship with four all-league runners, and the women’s team put three runners on the all-conference team and finished fourth.
The NCAA Southeast Regional Championships are set for Friday, Nov. 15, in Rock Hill, S.C. The top two teams for both the men and women will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, with another 13 at-large bids up for grabs nationally, based on results from throughout the season. The top four athletes not on a qualifying team will also earn an automatic spot at the national meet, as will two more athletes chosen at-large nationally. The NCAA Championship will be Saturday, Nov. 23, in Madison, Wis.
2024 Cross Country Schedule
| Day | Date | Event | Location |
| Saturday | Aug. 31 | Spider Alumni Open | Mechanicsville, Va. |
| Friday | Sept. 13 | CNU XC Invitational | Newport News, Va. |
| Friday | Sept. 20 | Adidas XC Challenge | Greenville, N.C. |
| Friday | Oct. 4 | Pirate Cross Country Invitational | Raleigh, N.C. |
| Saturday | Oct. 19 | Panorama Farms XC Invitational | Charlottesville, Va. |
| Friday | Nov. 1 | CAA Championships | Elon, N.C. |
| Friday | Nov. 15 | Southeast Regional Championships | Rock Hill, S.C. |
| Saturday | Nov. 23 | NCAA Championships | Madison, Wis. |
