Men's Cross Country | 8/9/2024 2:18:00 PM
MIAMI SHORES, Fla. - The cross country Buccaneer teams will be running in three regular season meets for the upcoming 2024 season, including the Oct. 11 return to the Florida State Invite. The Bucs also look to compete in this year's SSC Championship and hope to carry their momentum to the NCAA Division II South Region Championship. Head coach Kevin Padin had much to say about his developing and competitive teams, whose growth will be integral to success this year:
"As we head into the new season with most of our top scorers returning, we're ready to embrace the challenges ahead," Padin said. "Our schedule will test us with increasing distances and tougher competition. This group, still developing, but full of competitors, will grow through each challenge, learn from every experience, and compete with determination every step of the way."
Padin will be counting on his seniors David Bellefleur and Maryam Abreu this season, with Bellefleur coming off a second-place overall finish in the Ave Maria Invitational last season and Abreu coming off of her season-best performance at the South Region Championship last year.
The Bucs begin the season in Lakeland, Fla., at the Holloway Collegiate Cross Country Opener on Sept. 6 before heading to Daytona Beach, Fla., for the Embry-Riddle Cross Country Classic on Sept. 21.
Returning once again to Tallahassee for the FSU Invitational on Oct. 11, where the men's team placed 26th out of 31 last season, while the women's team placed 22nd out of 35 teams, the Bucs will face their toughest challenge in the regular season.
The Barry teams return to Lakeland for the SSC Championship on Oct. 26. The Buccaneers both finished seventh in last year's SSC Championship, and they will be looking to improve in this area this fall.
This year's NCAA Division II South Region Championship will be hosted in Huntsville, Ala., on Nov. 9. To finish the season, the Bucs are looking to outrun their competitors at the NCAA Division II National Championships in the Sacramento, Calif., Haggin Oaks Golf Complex on Nov. 23.
