TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - Sycamore Cross Country has revealed its schedule for the upcoming 2019 season, Indiana State Track and Field & Cross Country Program Director Angela Martin announced Tuesday.
 
"I'm really excited about our 2019 cross country schedule and believe it sets our team up for strong races at the Missouri Valley Conference Championship and NCAA Regional meets," Associate Head Coach for Cross Country.
 
ISU will host three meets this season at the famous LaVern Gibson Championships Cross Country Course, beginning with the John McNichols Invitational on Sat., Sept. 21 which is named in honor of late Head Coach John McNichols. Prior to that, the Trees will open the season at Valparaiso for the Crusader Open on Sept. 6 in Valparaiso, Ind.
 
"We open up the season in a low key meet, previewing the MVC Championship course at Valparaiso," Walsh said. "We will get a good sense of the course and will be a good experience since nobody on our roster has ever competed there. The John McNichols Invite has attracted many top-caliber teams in the country to fly in and compete as we honor Coach's lifelong legacy and dedication to the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course."
 
Indiana State will have a week off after the John McNichols Invitational and will then head north once again to compete at Joe Piane Invitational hosted by Notre Dame on October 4.
 
Two weeks later the blue and white will return home to host the 2019 Under Armour Pre-National Invitational where teams will get a chance to preview the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course for the 2019 NCAA Championships. The week after the Pre-National meet, ISU will head over to Indianapolis, Ind., to participate in the Bulldog Invitational - the last tune-up before the Missouri Valley Conference Championships in Valparaiso, Ind., on Nov. 2.
 
"Notre Dame's Joe Piane Invite and the NCAA Pre-National Championship are always two of the most competitive meets in the country and we really key on running well here against the nation's best teams," Walsh said.
 
Once the MVC Championships have concluded, ISU will make the trek up north to Wisconsin, who hosted the 2018 NCAA Championships, for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Meet on Nov. 15.
 
The NCAA Cross Country Championships will make their way to the LaVern Gibson Championships Cross Country Course on Nov. 23 and it will mark the 13th time that the national meet has come to LaVern Gibson since 2002. LaVern Gibson will also host the Great Lakes Regional meet in 2020.
 
"The season moves quickly and we enter postseason where we want to be competing at our peak for the MVC Championship and NCAA Regional," Walsh said." We had Akis Medrano qualify for the NCAA Championship meet last year and we hope to have another NCAA qualifier this fall."
 
2019 Schedule
Sept. 6 - Crusader Open - Valparaiso, Ind.
Sept. 21 - John McNichols Invitational - Terre Haute, Ind.
Oct. 4 - Joe Piane Invitational - South Bend, Ind.
Oct. 19 - Under Armour Pre-National Invitational - Terre Haute, Ind.
Oct. 25 - Bulldog Invitational - Indianapolis, Ind.
Nov. 2 - Missouri Valley Conference Championships - Valparaiso, Ind.
Nov. 15 - NCAA Great Lakes Regional - Madison, Wisc.
Nov. 23 - NCAA Cross Country National Championships - Terre Haute, Ind.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Cross Country teams, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.