Men's Cross Country Releases 2016 Slate

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - John Goodridge, head coach of the Eastern Michigan University men's cross country team, announced the team's 2016 schedule today, August 18. The Eagles will compete in five regular season meets, highlighted by a pair of national level meets, before beginning the postseason with the Mid-American Conference Championships in late October.

"Our schedule is certainly challenging with several national level events highlighted by our traditional trip to the Notre Dame Invitational and our first invitation to the Wisconsin Classic," remarked Goodridge. "Many of the strongest cross country teams in the nation will be represented at those two meets."

The Green and White will kick off the 2016 slate with a trip back to the Titan Invitational, Sept. 10. This marks the third consecutive season in which Eastern will attend the event, which is hosted annually by the University of Detroit. From there, the Eagles will remain in the state of Michigan, heading to the MSU Spartan Classic the following weekend, Sept. 16. Like the Titan Invite, this also marks the third year in a row that EMU will head to East Lansing for the early season meet.

Following their first two weeks somewhat close to home, the schedule then ramps up, as the squad will travel down to South Bend, Ind. for the Notre Dame Invitational, Sept. 30. The Eagles have been attending the meet annually since 2006, as this will mark the 11th straight year that EMU will be in attendance with some of the top teams in the nation.

After a quick break, Eastern returns to action at the Wisconsin Invitational, Oct. 14, marking the first time that the Green and White will head to Madison, Wis. for the meet. Similar to the Notre Dame Invitational, many of the top squads from around the nation will be in attendance, allowing the team to gain experience against other top runners before the postseason. Specifically, the meet includes 17 of the 31 teams that raced at last year's NCAA Cross Country Championship.

The Eagles will close out the regular season with the annual EMU Fall Classic, Oct. 21, held in Dexter, Mich. This meet will give the team one final opportunity to gain experience before the postseason begins the following weekend.

The postseason then kicks off, as the squad will head to Kent, Ohio for the 2016 MAC Championships. The team will have the opportunity to compete for their seventh consecutive conference title, in addition to vying for the team's 21st championship in program history, which would give EMU the most MAC titles in conference laurels. Finally, a win would also give Goodridge his 12th MAC title, furthering his lead as the winningest coach in league history.

Eastern then has a free weekend, followed by a return trip to Madison, Wis. for the NCAA Great Lakes Regional, Nov. 11. Last season, the Eagles had their best regional performance since 2002, as they finished third with 102 points and narrowly missed an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.

Depending on their NCAA Regional finish, the team will either conclude their season at the regional, or will move on to the NCAA Championships, held Nov. 19 in Terre Haute, Ind. In order to punch their tickets to the national championship, the team will need to either secure a top-two finish at the regional, or be selected as an at-large bid.

Eastern Michigan Athletics

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