Aug. 26, 2016

By Megan Golden

Notre Dame, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame men’s and women’s cross country teams are scheduled to compete in four regular-season meets this fall, including two home meets and two meets on the road.

Notre Dame opens its schedule with a trip to Valparaiso, Indiana, for the Crusader Open (September 2) for the 14th consecutive season. The runners-up in last year’s meet, both the men’s and women’s teams will compete at Sunset Hills Farm.

The Fighting Irish will host the 37th annual National Catholic Invitational at the Notre Dame Burke Golf Course on September 16. More than 30 schools are scheduled to travel to South Bend, including Dayton, DePaul and Saint Louis.

Last season, freshmen Anna Rohrer and Annie Heffernan made their collegiate debuts in the National Catholic Invitational. Rohrer ran to a first-place finish (17:20.7), and Heffernan completed the race in third place in 17:33.9.

“One of the highlights of our season has always been our home meets,” associate head coach Matt Sparks said. “The National Catholic is a great opportunity to share our campus with like-minded universities throughout the country.”

The Irish will remain at home for the 61st annual Joe Piane Invitational, which is scheduled for September 30 at the Burke Golf Course. Competition on the men’s side will feature several teams that finished the 2015 season ranked in the top-25: North Carolina State, Southern Utah, California, Air Force and Florida State. Last year’s No. 1 team, New Mexico, highlights the women’s field.

“Our schedule will allow us to highlight our home course as one of the premier cross country venues in the Midwest but also allow us to travel to some of the more elite meets in the country,” Sparks said.

The Irish men’s team will finish the season with a trip to the Bradley Classic (October 14 at Newman Golf Course). The women will compete in the Wisconsin adidas Invitational (October 14 at Zimmer Championship Course).

2016 Notre Dame Cross Country Schedule
All Times ET
September
2 – Crusader Open (5:30 p.m.)
16 – National Catholic (3:30 p.m.)
30 – Notre Dame/Joe Piane Invitational (2:00 p.m.)
October
14 – Wisconsin Adidas Invitational (W) (12:00 p.m.)
14 – Bradley Classic (M) (3:00 p.m.)
28 – ACC Championships (TBA)
November
11 – NCAA Great Lakes Regional (TBA)
19 – NCAA Championships (11:00 a.m.)

Megan Golden, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since August 2016. In her role, she coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse, cross country and track and field programs. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Golden is a 2014 graduate of Saint Mary’s College. Prior to arriving at Notre Dame, she worked in public relations with Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox.