NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Christopher Newport cross country teams will host the CNU Invitational this weekend when the Captains welcome a talented collection of squads to Lee Hall Mansion on Saturday.

The Invitational will kick off with the men's 8k race beginning at 11 a.m. The women's 6k will start an hour later at noon.

“We are extremely excited about getting to host this meet,” said head coach Matthew Barreau. “We have built a tremendous course from scratch with the help of the Newport News Parks Department. Many thanks go out to Ranger David Colley for helping facilitate the use of the land, which we were granted permission to use from the Economic Development Authority of Newport News. The backdrop of the Lee Hall Mansion is unbeatable.”

Fans interested in attending the invitational should follow I-64 to exit 247. After taking the off-ramp, spectators can turn onto Yorktown Road and follow that less than a quarter mile to the gravel lane, which leads to the Mansion. For specific directions from any location, please visit the Lee Hall Mansion website at LeeHall.org.

“This course has turned out great, and this should be a terrific meet,” said Barreau. “There are five regionally-ranked teams in each of the men's and women's races. This will be a great preview of many of our main competitors for the Regional Meet just four weeks later.”

The seventh-ranked men's squad will welcome No. 3 Rhodes, No. 4 Bridgewater, and No. 5 Lynchburg from the South / Southeast Region, while No. 10 York from the Mideast will also be in attendance. On the women's side, the fourth-ranked Captains will host No. 3 Washington & Lee, No. 5 Rhodes, No. 6 Eastern Mennonite, and No. 7 Bridgewater. Overall, 18 teams will compete during the invitational. Individually, 148 men and 184 women will take to the course on Saturday.

“We are looking forward to expanding upon this meet in the future,” said Barreau. “We hope to have the opportunity to bring even bigger meets like the Regional and National Championships here to Newport News.”

The Captains enter this weekend's meet after a string of strong performances, highlighted by the squad's tremendous effort at the Willamette Invitational on September 29. During that meet, both the men and women placed fourth in the largest college-only competition on the west coast.

So far this season, the CNU women have been guided by an incredibly successful freshman class. Lydia Cromwell led the unit in Oregon when she shaved 50 seconds off her personal best time by completing the 5k in 18:57.92. That pace was the sixth fastest among Division III competitors at the meet, which eventually earned her USA South Runner and Rookie of the Week accolades.

Melissa Rizor also earned the conference's top freshman honor after her performance in the season opener, while fellow first-year standouts Alexa Tabackman, Eliza Eaton, and Graciela Slyer have been dominant figures as well. Not to be overlooked, the Captains have also benefited from a collection of talented veterans, headlined by Karen Bumiller, Erin Rolaf, and Jessica McClelland.

On the men's side, Ray Gamache and Josh Showalter have been sensational all season long. Gamache, who captured the conference crown last season, has been named the USA South Runner of the Week twice this year. Showalter has also garnered the honor once while collecting three Rookie of the Week awards.

During the Willamette Invitational, Gamache finished 13th overall and second among D3 entrants with a time of 25:27.89 in the 8k. Aaron Zook also earned a top-50 showing, while Showalter was 65th overall. Donovan Lewin, Michael Hoy, and Daniel Austin also pieced together strong efforts to guide the squad to its fourth-place showing.

Saturday's CNU Invitational will serve as the team's final competition before the USA South Championship. The conference's title meet, which will be hosted at Hagan Stone Park in Greensboro, N.C., will take place on October 27.

--CNU--