SAN FRANCISCO — The University of San Francisco men's and women's cross country teams will challenge themselves all season long this fall with a schedule chock full of prestigious meets, as head coach Pat McCurry announced the Dons' 2019 slate on Wednesday.
 
"We are excited to embark on this schedule that provides us a good balance and range of competitive opportunities to develop our team before championship time," said McCurry.
 
The Dons kick things off on Aug. 31 with the 27th annual USF Cross Country Invitational at Golden Gate Park. Both the men and women grabbed top-five team finishes at last year's version of the annual home meet to start the year. The men had two top-five finishers with now-departed seniors Chris Olley (second) and Jack Rowe (fifth), and the women placed three among the top-15, led by returning sophomore Merel Van Der Marel (11th).
 
San Francisco stays local on Sept. 13 with its second meet of the season, traveling to Davis for the inaugural Stumper Invitational hosted by UC Davis at the Wildhorse Golf Club. Then begins a stretch in late September of highly competitive meets that culminate in late November with the NCAA Championships.
 
"It's nice have some local opportunities early before we hit the road, and of course we are always stoked that our home meet kicks off the fall," added McCurry.
 
The Dons will compete on Sept. 28 in the historic Roy Griak Invitational, hosted by the University of Minnesota. They take a three-week break before traveling back to the Midwest on Oct. 19 for the Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind., host of this year's NCAA Championships. Two weeks later on Nov. 2, USF will compete in the 2019 West Coast Conference Championships in Los Angeles. The women were third a year ago and the men fourth.
 
San Francisco will compete in the NCAA West Regionals hosted by the University of Washington in Colfax, Wash., on Nov. 9. There, the Dons will vie for a spot in the NCAA Championships, which will take place on Nov. 23 back in Terre Haute, Ind. Last season, the women grabbed their fourth-consecutive top-10 finish in the region, and the men sent Jack Rowe as an individual to the NCAA Championships.
 
The Dons added 21 newcomers (18 women, three men) in 2019 as part of McCurry and staff's first full recruiting class for the USF cross country and track programs. Many will make their debuts in the green and gold this fall with the cross country teams.