CROSS COUNTRY NOTEBOOK
Vermont cross country is back in action Friday (Oct. 1) for the Paul Short Invitational in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Hosted by Lehigh University, the meet is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. with the Open Men's 8k Race. Results will be posted at MitchellTiming.com.
 
VERMONT'S ENTRIES
The Catamounts will be competing in four races on Friday, beginning with the Open Men's 8k at 9:30 a.m. At 10:15 a.m., the Open Women's 6k race will begin. Vermont will also compete in the Men's Gold 8k race at 11 a.m., followed by the Women's Gold 6k at 11:45 a.m.
 
RELATED LINKS
Live Results | Paul Short Program
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"We are looking forward to racing against many of the top teams in the country – all at one time in a race of 40 teams," said head coach Matt Belfield. "It will provide us with some experience navigating large field sizes and taking some risks to be competitive in a nationally relevant event."
 
THE FIELD
The Catamounts will face several nationally-ranked opponents on Friday at Lehigh. On the men's side, No. 12 Iona headlines the field with No. 23 North Carolina and No. 24 Villanova also competing. Northern Arizona ranks 13th in the women's national poll, with No. 15 Georgetown rounding out the nationally-ranked teams in the women's competitions.
 
A GLANCE AT THE NORTHEAST
The Vermont men will face eight teams ranked in the Northeast Region in the Men's Gold 8k.  No. 1 Iona, No. 7 Army, No. 8 Yale, No. 12 Cornell, and No. 13 Siena will compete in the Paul Short along with conference foes UMass Lowell, Stony Brook, and Binghamton. The Catamount women are slated to compete against No. 6 Yale, No. 11 Iona, No. 14 Army, and No. 15 Boston University along with America East foes No. 10 Binghamton.
 
HISTORY AT THE 2019 PAUL SHORT
In the Catamounts' last trip to the Paul Short Invitational, then-senior John Benner ran a historic time for Vermont cross country. Benner posted a blistering pace of 24:12.8, which was the fastest 8k in program history.
 
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE FALL FOLIAGE INVITE
Vermont cross country will return to Hard'Ack Recreation Area in St. Albans for the Fall Foliage Invitational on October 16. The Saturday afternoon meet will be the Catamounts' final tune-up before the America East Championships on October 29.