FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University men's and women's cross country head coach Bryan Hagopian has announced the 2017 cross country campaign, set to kick off on Friday, September 1 at the Florida Atlantic Invitational. The Sharks will race against some tough competition that includes NCAA Division I, Sunshine State Conference and South Region opponents to prepare for the SSC Championship, which the Sharks will be hosting for the first time since the 2011 season.
 
"We consistently have a challenging schedule racing against every level from the NCAA to the NAIA," Hagopian said. "I prefer to race against tougher teams to not only motivate the student-athletes to run to their full potential, but to prepare them for the conference and regional championships."
 
The Sharks will start their season with two races in eight days, beginning with the FAU Invitational followed by the Florida Tech Invitational on September 9. Both men's and women's teams have won the team titles at the FAU Invitational in each of the past two seasons.
 
Nova Southeastern will have a two-week layoff before racing at the Trevecca NCAA Division II Showcase Invitational, hosted by Trevecca Nazarene in Nashville, Tennessee on September 23. After another two weeks, the Sharks will then race in one of the most competitive regular season races in Florida, the Disney Cross Country Classic held at the Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando on October 7. This competition consists of teams from all NCAA levels with some of the best runners in the state.
 
On October 13, the Sharks will travel to Tampa, Florida for the USF Invitational, hosted by the University of South Florida. Last season, the men's team claimed second overall, while the women's team took third.
 
Eight days later, the Sharks will host the SSC Championship on the campus of FAU on October 21. The last time the Sharks hosted the conference championship, in 2011, both teams claimed second.
 
"It's really exciting that we will host the conference championship this season," Hagopian added. "This gives us the opportunity to race in the competition we have been training for in front of our friends and family. I'm sure it will give us a bigger spark to race well this season."
 
Nearly two weeks after the SSC Championship, the Sharks will race in the NCAA South Regional Championship, hosted by Florida Southern on November 4, in hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championship.
 
Returning seven runners from the women's squad, the Sharks also welcome seven newcomers - five freshman and two transfers - in Michelle Bauer, Julia Blakenbaker, Tiffany Brand, Kaitlyn Campo, Abigail Kohlmeier, Erika Mares, and Sydney Stoneback. Meanwhile, the men's team returns five from 2016 and welcomes graduate student, Scott Greeves.
 
For a full version of the cross country schedule, click here.