FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's and women's cross country teams will begin the 2019 season at the Spider Alumni Open hosted by University of Richmond at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, Va.
The Mason men will run a 5k at 9:15 a.m., followed by the women in a two-mile race at 9:50 a.m.
The Patriots will open the 2019 campaign for the fifth straight year at the Spider Open. 12 Mason men will compete in the 5k, including seniors
Thomas Amabile and
Ethan Newland, who finished 28th and 39th at the A-10 Championships last year, respectively.
On the women's side, 18 Patriots will make their season debut in the two-mile race. The women return 11 letterwinners and four of their top six scorers - Síobhra O'Flaherty,
Khalilah Hamer,
Margaret Morgan and
Riley Freeland – from last year's Atlantic 10 Championship in which they placed sixth for their best finish since joining the A-10 in 2013.
The Patriots look to contend for a conference championship come November, and each team has the pieces to do so. Garnering regional and conference attention, this will be the first opportunity to see the teams in action.
"For the women, this is perhaps the best group we've assembled in a long time here at Mason, maybe the best ever as a whole," said head coach
Andrew Gerard. "They have an excellent mix of young and old, experience and newcomers. It'll depend on how they progress and gel through the season but the possibilities are exciting."
The women begin the season ranked 15th in the Southeast Region preseason poll, breaking through the rankings for the first time since 2011. Their talent was also acknowledged in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll in which they were selected to place fourth, for their highest expected finish since joining the A-10 in 2013.
"[On the men's side], we have an exciting group of returnees and several newcomers that could step in and replace and perhaps exceed last year's group," said Gerard. "We've got some holes to fill but the pieces are definitely there."
The Mason men were selected to finish second overall in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll. The men received 151 points including one first-place vote. Last season, the Patriots finished fifth at the Atlantic 10 Championships for its fifth top-five finish in the conference over the last six years.
