FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason men's and women's cross country teams are set to return to action this Friday, October 17, at the historic Van Cortlandt Park in New York City for the IC4A/ECAC Championships. The meet is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. ET. The Women's 6K Race will start at 10:45 a.m. EST. and the Men's 8K will start at 11:30 a.m. EST.
The Patriots are coming off a strong showing at the Paul Short Invitational, where several Mason runners posted season-best times. The standout performance came from senior Ella Semple, who earned Atlantic 10 Women's Performer of the Week honors after finishing 19th in the Women's College Gold 6K with a time of 20:17.2. Her effort helped lead the women's squad to an impressive team performance against a deep and competitive field.
As the team prepares for its final competition before the Atlantic 10 Championships, head coach Andrew Gerard emphasized the importance of this meet as a tune-up for the postseason.
"With this being our last 'regular season' meet before the conference championships, we typically treat this as a dry run — fine-tuning both our preparations and our racing tactics," said Gerard. "Consequently, we'll look to emphasize good positioning, tight packing, closing well — all the things we look to do in two weeks."
For the men, senior Lloyd Sheppard-Brown looks to build on his top-10 finish at Paul Short, where he crossed the line in 24:10.5 in the Men's Open 8K. Alongside a solid group of returners and emerging underclassmen, the Patriots will aim to continue their upward trend in both individual performances and team results.
The IC4A/ECAC Championships serve as a key tune-up meet ahead of the Atlantic 10 Championships, offering the Patriots a chance to test their depth and strategy against a strong regional field.
Fans can follow live results and updates here and stay connected with @GeorgeMasonTFXC and @georgemasontrack on social media for coverage throughout the weekend.
What's Next
George Mason will head into the championship portion of the season, traveling to Cedarville, Ohio for the Atlantic 10 Championships on November 1st. The first race will start at 10 a.m. EST.
