Lynchburg, Va. – The University of Lynchburg men's and women's cross country teams will travel to Earlysville, Va. on Saturday, Sept. 19 to host the South Region Preview at Panorama Farms, marking their first 6,000m and 8,000m races of the season.

Lynchburg will face several Commonwealth opponents as teams prepare to compete in Earlysville at the NCAA South Region Championships in November. The upcoming season marks the third time in five years that a Virginia school will host the regional championships.

Event Schedule

The men's race will feature 20 teams across several divisions, including seven opponents from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The Lynchburg teams will compete against athletes from Averett, Batten, Bridgewater, Eastern Mennonite, Hampden-Sydney, Randolph and Roanoke.

On the women's side, 22 teams will toe the line, while Hollins and Sweet Briar join the previously listed ODAC foes. 

• Men's 8,000m – 10:00 a.m
• Women's 6,000m – 11:00 a.m.

Weather

High temperatures will reach 82 degrees under mostly cloudy skies, with only a 15 percent chance of rain. Wind gusts will remain minimal, peaking at 6 mph.

Course Overview

Panorama Farms, the host site of the 2023 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, features over nine miles of rolling grass fields. The course is easily accessible for spectators, and the venue hosted over 7,000 spectators for the NCAA Championships.

Dominance with Depth

To open the season at the Virginia Tech Invitational, the Lynchburg men's team placed six runners in the top 30 to secure a third-place team finish. With a focused approach on packing together, the Hornets' top three runners each finished within a five-second spread, led by Aidan Riggle's 18:56.7 performance in the 6k.

A Night for the Newcomers

Ty Blair immediately entered the fold for the men's team as Lynchburg's second finisher in Blacksburg (18:56.7). Additionally, freshman Nate Cochran emerged with a 19:21.3 performance to place 22nd overall as the team's fifth finisher.

For the women, newcomer Savannah Wood clocked 17:24.2 in the women's 4.4k to lead the Hornets at the VT Invitational with an 18th-place finish. Sydney Davis (18:24.3) and Ella Warren (18:46.2) also made their collegiate debuts for Lynchburg, placing 33rd and 35th, respectively.

Follow Along

To access live results from the South Region Preview, click here.

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--LYN--