(Photo by Scott Eyre)

Royals only run outside of Virginia twice

EMU Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Isaac Bryan has announced this fall’s cross country schedule.

The seven-meet schedule, which starts on Sept. 2, has a handful of new events in place.

Click here to see the entire 2017 EMU cross country schedule.

For the first time in a number of years, the Royals are not participating in the ODAC Preview meet, but instead heading south to Black Mountain, N.C. EMU’s teams will run in the Hyder-McMahill Invitational on Sept. 2, hosted by Montreat College and former Royals mentor Jason Lewkowicz.

The next weekend the Royals stay local, running at the JMU Invitational in New Market, Va.

After a Sept. 29 trip to the highly-regarded Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pa., the teams stay in-state. EMU’s men and women get a preview of the South/Southeast Regional Championships course by running at the CNU Invitational on Oct. 14.

Virginia Wesleyan hosts the ODAC Championships on Oct. 28, before the Royals return to the southeast corner of the state for Regionals on Nov. 11, hosted by Christopher Newport.

The NCAA National Championships are Nov. 18 in Elsah, Ill., hosted by Principia College, which is just outside of St. Louis, Mo.

EMU’s women finished 10th at Regionals last year, while the men came in 11th. It was the first time in four years that the Royals did not send a cross country runner to Nationals.