River Hawks Prepped for Paul Short Invite

PROGRAM | RESULTS | ASSIGNMENTS

LOWELL, Mass.—With several weeks of preparation in the books, the UMass Lowell cross country team set its sights on its first major invitational of the season in the Paul Short Invite hosted by Lehigh this Friday, Sept. 30.

"This is the team's first true test this season. [We'll compete against] teams like Duke, Villanova, North Carolina, Georgetown, Texas A&M and many others, which allows us to get a real season of where we are at this point," said Head Coach Gary Gardner.

The River Hawks wasted no time jumping headfirst into the season with several top team and individual performances across their first three meets. With numerous new faces suiting up, the early races provided an opportunity for the rookies to find their spot in the lineup and gain their footing before entering the stacked back half of the slate.

For many of the team's veterans, however, this Friday's meet serves as a season opener and provides them an opportunity to race as a full squad for the first time.

"This is a season opener for a few of us, so I am excited to finally see the team come together on Friday. This team has by far the most depth that we have ever had, so it makes me confident going into this race knowing that the rest of my teammates have my back," said senior Kenzie Doyle (Swansea, Mass.).

Facing an impressive field of competitors, returners like graduate student Drew Everett (Amesbury, Mass.) use their performance as a litmus test for the work the team put in this summer as well as the work that's left to do.

"[This race] is special because it's the race you think of in the back of your head when you need that extra motivation in the summer and early fall to do all the right things," said Everett. "Now that it's finally here, we are so excited to showcase all the hard work and fitness that we have gained since the spring. There are a lot of talented teams at this meet, so there is no better opportunity to prove we can run with these guys and earn some at large points."

With over 5,000 student-athletes from across the country competing, this race provides a major opportunity for the River Hawks to set themselves up for postseason success.

"Even though it's still September, Paul Short will give us the data needed to determine what we need to improve on before the end of October," commented Gardner.

The first race of the day is slated for Friday, Sept. 30, at 9:30 a.m. For a complete schedule, please visit this link.

River Hawks Prepped for Paul Short Invite

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Players Mentioned

Kenzie Doyle

Drew Everett

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