Several top teams raced shortened versions of the Panorama Farms layout, on which the Nationals will be run, at the Virginia Invitational in September. (MIKE SCOTT)
SIZING UP NCAA Cross Country prospects before late October is never a sure-fire enterprise. The short season heats up late and low-stick athletes on powerhouse teams as often as not train through early meets.
Virginia will provide the venue for the Nationals on November 18, the Cavaliers’ second time hosting and first since ’87. Panorama Farms, on which the title races will be run (10K for men 6K for women), sits on 850 acres about 6M from the UVA campus. “The courses are laid out entirely on rolling grass fields that are maintained year-round,” per virginiasports.com.
The venue — site of the NCAA Southeast Regionals of ’13, ’15, ’16, ’17 & ’19 — has also seen reasonably fast times. The mystery variable, as always in late November, is weather, which will surely have a say in how the competitions play out.
Follow the links below to the 4 detailed sections of our Div. I-based NCAA Cross Country Preview:
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