Blue Devils Announce 2021 Schedule

DURHAM, N.C. – Duke director of track & field and cross country Shawn Wilbourn and head coach of men's and women's cross country Angela Reckart have announced the 2021 cross country schedule.

Action is set to get underway on Sept. 3 as the men and women travel to Elon for the Elon Opener. The men are set to return for the first time since winning the event during the 2019 season.

Next, the Blue Devils will stay in the state of North Carolina as they travel to Raleigh, N.C., for the Adidas XC Challenge, hosted by NC State on Sept. 17. Following the meet, the Blue Devils will head north for the Battle in Beantown in Boston, Mass., on Sept. 24. The Blue Devils are set to return to Boston for the first time since the 2014 season.

"Coach Adam Cooke and I are excited about the schedule we have assembled for this fall and believe that it will set our teams up for a successful cross country season," said Reckart. "We will start things off with two early season meets at Elon and NC State. These races will allow us to test ourselves and provide insight to the team as we prepare for some very competitive races later in the season. We will then head up to Boston for the Battle in Beantown to gain some competition that is out of our region for potential at-large-bid points for both teams."

October will be headlined by two critical races as the Blue Devils are set to compete in the Pre-Nationals Invitational at Florida State on Oct. 15. Women's cross country raced to a third place finish out of 18 teams during last season's trip to Tallahassee, Fla., at the FSU Winter XC Classic. The final event of the month will be the ACC Championship, hosted by Notre Dame for the first time on Oct. 29.

"Pre-Nationals will also provide us with some very competitive racing as well as an opportunity to preview the course where NCAA's will be held on at Florida State," said Reckart. "We will then shift our focus toward championships season with the ACC Championships at Notre Dame and NCAA Southeast Regionals in Lexington, Ky., with the hope of qualifying for the NCAA National Championships back at Florida State."

The 2021 season will mark the return of the NCAA Regionals after being eliminated for the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's NCAA Southeast Regional will be host by Kentucky on Nov. 12 before the NCAA Championship returns to Tallahassee, Fla., on Nov. 20. Both units are hoping to qualify for their second straight NCAA Championship after the men placed 16th and the women finished 27th at the 2020 NCAA Championship.

To stay up to date with Blue Devils cross country, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeTFXC."

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Blue Devils Announce 2021 Schedule

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