Cullowhee, N.C. – The Western Carolina cross country teams are heading north this week for the Virginia Invitational for their second meet of the 2025 season. The 13-team meet begins early in the morning on Sept. 12, with the men's 8K scheduled for an 8:45 a.m. start, followed by the women's 5K race slated for 9:30 a.m.
Friday's Meet: Virginia Invitational in Charlottesville, Va.
Teams (13): Appalachian State, George Washington, Howard, James Madison, Johns Hopkins, Mary Washington, UNC Asheville, Norfolk State, Richmond, South Carolina, Virginia, Western Carolina, William & Mary
Men's 8K: 8:45 a.m.
Women's 5K: 9:30 a.m.
Live Results: https://tinyurl.com/jt5spafe
The Catamount men will have their mettle tested early, jockeying with elite NCAA Division I competition as the host Virginia Cavaliers enter the Friday race atop the USTFCCCA Southeast region rankings. WCU also lines up against a second Top 15 team in the region in the Appalachian State Mountaineers, who enter the meet ranked 12th in the Southeast.
WCU's women's team will battle three teams among the Top 15 regional rankings, running shoulder to shoulder with No. 3 Virginia, fifth-ranked South Carolina, and 15th-ranked William & Mary on Friday morning.
Western Carolina enters Friday's races after a strong open at the Duel in the Valley two weeks ago. Chase Thurber and Matthias Peterson (pictured above) lead the Southern Conference in the 6K, posting times of 18:57.00 and 19:12.90, respectively, though Friday morning's 8K will be their first run of that distance this season. Thurber has the top 8K time on the team, finishing his race at the Upstate Invitational last season in 24:42.20.
Jessica Connole (pictured above) led the women's team at the Duel in the Valley, completing her 3K in 10:50.10, just ahead of teammate Katherine Hopkins, who finished in 10:50.50. Similarly to the men's team, the 5K on Friday morning will be the first of the season for WCU's women, with Hopkins pacing the team with a 17:51.9 finish at the Southern Conference cross country championships last season.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
WCU has a few weeks back in the shop before returning to competition for the Upstate Invitational in Spartanburg, S.C., on Oct. 18, in the penultimate event of the season. The Catamounts then take on the 2025 Southern Conference Cross Country Championships on Nov. 1, in Mill Springs, N.C.
