Championship Central
FAIRFAX, Va. – Championship season begins for the George Mason men's and women's cross country teams at the Atlantic 10 Championships this Saturday at Oatlands Plantation in Leesburg, Va.
"It's always exciting to have the conference championship on our home course in front of family, friends and teammates," said head coach
Andrew Gerard. "In addition, I think our course is also pretty unique with the layout, terrain and location so it's great to get a chance to showcase that as well."
The Patriots are set to host the A-10 Championships for the second time in the last three years. The men's five-mile race will kick off at 10 a.m. followed by the women's 5k at 10:50 a.m.
"As far as the competition itself, the conference is always our first championship meet of the year so we do always want to get off the ground with a bang," said Gerard. "Both teams have positioned themselves well through the regular season with the level of competition we've been exposed to and I'm confident we're primed for a good, grind-it-out effort on Saturday. This course rewards grit and resiliency and that's the style of both our men's and women's squads."
For more information on the Atlantic 10 Championships, head to the championship central
here.
Last time out, the Mason women finished eighth out of 20 teams with a score of 266 at the Princeton Invitational. The Mason men placed ninth out of 24 teams with 257 points.
In her first meet of the season, 2018 A-10 All-Rookie Team selection Síobhra O'Flaherty finished as Mason's top performer in the 6k (23rd, 22:07.7). On the men's side, sophomore
Jack Ikenberry led the Patriots with a 29th-place finish (24:42.3).
The men's team was selected to finish second overall in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll with 151 points and one first-place vote. They finished fifth at the Atlantic 10 Championships last season for its fifth top-five finish in the conference over the last six years.
The women were slated to finish fourth by league head coaches with 133 points and two first-place votes. It marked the Patriots' highest expected finish since joining the league in 2013.
Championship season continues at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship on Nov. 15 in Earlysville, Va., hosted by the University of Virginia.
