ELON, N.C. - The Elon cross country program will host its fourth annual Elon Invitational meet on Saturday, Sept. 15. The women’s 5K race is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. with the men’s 8K to follow shortly at 9:45 a.m. at the Elon Cross Country Course.
 
“I am certainly excited to be hosting the fourth annual Elon Invitational at home this Saturday,” said Elon head coach Christine Engel. “It is our only home event this year for either cross country or track and we hope it gives the Elon community the opportunity to see our team in action. We hope we can create many new fans for our program.”
 
Meet Info
The Phoenix will be one of six teams competing at the meet. Other schools at the event are Ferrum, Methodist, North Carolina A&T, William Peace and fellow Southern Conference member UNCG.
 
Other facts and information on the meet can be found here on the Elon Invitational page.
 
History at the Meet
The Phoenix has fared well at the event with the women finishing no lower than second and the men not falling below third since the event was created in 2009. Last season the women won the meet as four harriers were placed in the top seven while the men were third.
 
Emily Tryon was the top runner last season for the women, finishing in third place overall with a time of 18:09. The men’s Ben Parron is the highest returning individual with a mark of 26:07 in the 8K race last year.
 
Women's Cross Country Jumps Two Spots in Regional Rankings
The women’s program continues to have a strong season as the Phoenix improved by two spots in the United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) regional rankings on Monday. Elon moved from 13^th to 11^th place in the Southeast Region and is the only Southern Conference team to be ranked.
 
The women’s program will be looking for its second straight victory after winning the Demon Deacon Quad on Aug. 31 at Wake Forest. The men were third in the relay-style meet.
 
Up Next for Elon XC
Both programs will return to the course on Friday Sept. 28, at the Charlotte Invitational in Charlotte, N.C.