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LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell Cross Country Head Coach Gary Gardner has announced a nine meet 2017 cross country schedule that includes the NCAA Regionals and National Championship meets for the first time.
 
"It's nice to finally include those meets," said Gardner.  "It's great for the kids to finally have a chance to compete at that level."
 
UMass Lowell was not eligible for the NCAA Championships during the four year transition to Division I.  During that time the season ended with the America East Conference Championships.  The River Hawks did win the men's conference title in 2015, but could go no further.
 
"It's a big deal in cross country for the student-athletes to have a chance to move on," according to Gardner.  "It's nice that it finally matters."
 
The NCAA Northeast Regional hosted by the University of Buffalo will take place November 10th at the Audubon Golf Course in Amherst, N.Y.  The Northeast region includes schools from New York State and New England.  The National Championships take place eight days later, November 18th, in Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville, Kentucky. 
 
Performance at the regional will determine what teams and what individuals go to Louisville.  The top two teams in each regional move on and additional teams are chosen at large.  In addition top three finishing individuals whose teams are not moving on will be invited to the championships.
 
"It's a two fold process," said Gardner.  "We want to qualify as a team and we want to qualify individuals.  The NCAAs is one goal, but our primary goal remains the America East Championships."
 
The conference championships hosted by the University of Vermont takes place on October 28th at Hard'Ack Recreation Area in St. Albans, Vermont.  That event begins what is the so-called championship season.
 
The bulk of the schedule, the first six meets, shows little change from the past.  The difference is the significant impact those events may have on the NCAA events.
 
"The big difference is that the early season meets are important because they effect seeding," according to Gardner.  "We want to be in the seeded races and we need to compete well against top schools."
 
There are three significant meets in a four week period.  The Coast to Coast Invitational, September 23rd in Franklin Park in Boston, will be the first test for the River Hawks against schools that play on the national stage.  Two weeks later, October 7th, Franklin Park is again the setting for the New England Championships and a week after that, October 14th, it's off to Louisville for the NCAA Pre-National Meet.
 
All three events can impact UMass Lowell's chances of returning to Louisville for the National Championship meet.
 
The 2017 season opens with the America East Pre-Conference meet in St. Albans, Vermont on September 2nd and the UMass Dartmouth Invitational, September 16th, as preparation for the Coast to Coast Invitational on the 23rd.
 
The River Hawks do get a bit of a breather with the Central Connecticut State Mini-Meet at Stanley Quarter Park in New Britain, Conn., October 20th, a week before the America East Championships.  The event have served in the past as a tune up for the championship season.