MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University cross country team opens the 2023 season on Friday, Sept.1 at the Lehigh Invitational in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The race is slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. ET at the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course.

“We are running at Lehigh to open the year on the same course that we will see in November for the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals,” WVU coach Sean Cleary said. “As with past seasons, this will be a lowkey affair for the team, with limited runners competing. Our goal is to travel to Lehigh and teach the newcomers about one of the most historic courses in the country.”

The women’s 6k race is set to kick off at 5:30 p.m., and fans who can’t attend are able to view live stats at wvusports.com.

West Virginia is one of nine institutions competing at the invitational. Other teams include Chestnut Hill, DeSales (men only), Farleigh Dickinson, Lehigh, Moravian, Muhlenberg, Penn and Saint Joseph’s.

The Goodman Campus Cross Country Course will serve as the host site of the Paul Short Run, on Sept. 30, and the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals, on Nov. 10.

The Mountaineers begin the 2023 campaign ranked second in the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Regional Rankings and are No. 29 in the USTFCCCA National Coaches Poll.

In 2022 the squad saw action in five regular-season meets along with three post-season competitions. West Virginia finished second at the 2022 Big 12 Cross Country Championship, second at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships and 27^th overall at the NCAA Championship.