July 21, 2015
SAN DIEGO -
2015 CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE | SCHEDULE | AZTEC INVITATIONAL INFO
The San Diego State cross country team will play host to the 71st annual Aztec Invitational on Friday, Sept. 18, head coach Shelia Burrell announced today. The Aztecs are also slated to compete in at least six other meets on the year.
For the second straight year, the Aztec Invitational will take place at San Diego Mission Bay's Tecolote Shores North Park. Last season, SDSU took second in the meet. The course was also the site of the 2008 and 2011 USA Cross Country Championships, as well as the 2008 Mountain West Championships.
The Invitational Men's 8K kicks off the meet at 8:30 a.m. PT, while San Diego State will compete in the Women's 8K Invitational at 9:30 a.m. PT.
The Southern California Junior College Cross Country Preview races follow at 11 a.m. PT, but are not a part of the Aztec Invitational.
The Aztec Invitational is one of the oldest continuous collegiate cross country meets in the United States. The first meet, which only included men's teams, was held on the San Diego State campus in 1944. As the campus grew, SDSU's home cross country course was moved to Balboa Park. In 2001, the meet was cancelled because of the 9/11 tragedy, so the 58th running was held in 2002. In past years, up to 75 universities, colleges and club teams have participated in a single meet. Elite distance women like Monica Joyce (SDSU, 1982; 1984 Olympics, Los Angeles), Lynn Kanuka (SDSU, 1982; 1984 Olympics, Los Angeles; 1988 Olympics, Seoul), Joan Hanson (Arizona, 1981, 1984 Olympics, Los Angeles), Shannon Rowbury (Duke, 2005; 2008 Olympics, Beijing; current U.S. 1,500 record holder) and her late teammate, Sally Meyerhoff (Duke, 2005) have run in the Aztec Invitational. On the men's side, distance greats like Billy Mills (San Diego Track Club 1967; 1964 Olympics, Tokyo), Tracy Smith (Athletes in Action, 1972 ; 1968 Olympics, Mexico City), Meb Keflezighi (UCLA, 1994, 1996; 2000, 2004 and 2012 Olympics) and Abdi Abdirahman (Arizona, 1998; 2012 Olympics) are also Aztec Invitational veterans.
The women's 5K course consists of two and half loops, almost entirely on grass in a park setting, occasionally crossing sidewalks. The men's 8K course consists of four complete loops along essentially the same course. Both race courses have 15 feet of total elevation differential during a single loop and are blessed with spectacular views of the bay and light ocean breezes.
SDSU is also slated to compete at the Mark Covert Classic Invitational in Brea, Calif., on Sept. 5, the UC Riverside Invitational in Riverside, Calif., on Sept. 12, the UNLV Invitational in Las Vegas on Oct. 3, the Highlander Invitational in Riverside, Calif., on Oct. 17, the Mountain West Championships in Reno, Nev., on Oct. 30 and the NCAA West Regional in Seattle on Nov. 13.