July 18, 2016
SAN DIEGO -
72nd AZTEC INVITATIONAL INFO (SEPT. 23)
The 72nd annual Aztec Invitational will take place on Friday, Sept. 23, San Diego State cross country/track and field head coach Shelia Burrell announced today.
For the third consecutive year, the Aztec Invitational will take place at San Diego Mission Bay's Tecolote Shores North Park. The course was also the site of the 2008 and 2011 USA Cross Country Championships, as well as the 2008 Mountain West Championships.
Last season, SDSU won the five-team 5,000-meter Division I race with 41 points, defeating San Diego (46), UNLV (59), USC (93) and Pepperdine (105). San Diego State returns its top-3 runners from that race, including the overall winner and senior Elaine Ribeiro, who clocked a time of 18 minutes, 19.74 seconds.
This year's meet will feature four races with the Aztecs kicking things off in the Women's Invitational 5K at 8:30 a.m. PT, while the Women's Junior/Community College/Open 5K follows at 9:15 a.m. PT. Other races include the Men's Invitational 8K at 10 a.m. PT and the Men's Junior/Community College/Open 4-mile race at 10:45 a.m. PT.
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), Lynn Kanuka (SDSU, 1982; 1984 and 1988 Olympics), Joan Hanson (Arizona, 1981, 1984 Olympics), Shannon Rowbury (Duke, 2005; 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics; 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), Tracy Smith (Athletes in Action, 1972; 1968 Olympics), Meb Keflezighi (UCLA, 1994, 1996; 2000, 2004, 2012 and 2016 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, while the men's 4-mile race will be contested along the similar course. All three 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.
The rest of SDSU's schedule is expected to be released in the coming weeks.