VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State men's and women's cross country teams head to Charlotte, N.C., to compete in the Queens University Royals Challenge at McAlpine Creek Park on Friday Oct. 8 for the fourth race of the season.
 

With more than 66 teams registered and over 650 racers per race, this number was deemed too large and unsafe, so the race was split into two races, the Blue Race and Gold Race.
 

The women's Blue Race will start at 3:40 p.m. and set off on a 5K course followed by men's Blue at 4:15 p.m., racing an 8K.  Next, the women's Gold Race is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. followed by the men's Gold Race at approximately 5:30 p.m. Both VSU teams will be in the Gold Race.
 

The course is a long-time home of the Footlocker High School Southeast Championships. McAlpine is a flat, firm, and a very fast course consisting of a wide crushed gravel path.
 

Blue Race

Women's Team:

Alice Lloyd, Belmont Abbey, Benedict, Brenau, Brevard, Central St., Claflin, Converse, Davis & Elkins, Emory & Henry, Francis Marion, Guilford, Johnson C. Smith, Kentucky Christian, Lander, Lees-McRae, Limestone, Mars Hill, Meredith, Methodist, Montreat, Mount Olive, Newberry, Ohio Dominican, Pfeiffer, Reinhardt, Rio Grande, Shaw, St. Augustine, Tennessee Wesleyan, USC-Beaufort, UVA-Wise, Warren Wilson, William Peace.
 

Men's Teams:

Alice Lloyd, Belmont Abbey, Brevard, Central St., Claflin, Davis & Elkins, Emory & Henry, Francis Marion, Guilford, Johnson C. Smith, Kentucky Christian, Lander, Limestone, Mars Hill, Montreat, Newberry, Northeastern Technical College, Ohio Dominican, Pfeiffer, Reinhardt, Rio Grande, Shaw, St. Augustine, Tennessee Wesleyan, USC-Beaufort, UVA-Wise, Warren Wilson, William Peace, Winston-Salem St.
 

Gold Race:

Women's Teams:

Carson-Newman, Catawba, Cedarville, Charleston (W.V.), Charlotte, Citadel, College of Charleston, Converse, Cumberlands, Davidson, Edinboro, Erskine, Findlay, Gardner-Webb, King, Lincoln Memorial, Malone, Milligan, North Greenville, Presbyterian, Queens (N.C.), Queens Triathlon, SCAD Atlanta, SCAD Savannah, Shawnee State, Southeastern U., Southern Wesleyan, Stetson, Tiffin, Tusculum, Valdosta State, Wake Forest, Wingate.
 

Men's Teams:

Benedict, Carson-Newman, Catawba, Cedarville, Charleston (W.V.), Charlotte, Citadel, College of Charleston, Critical Velocity Group, Cumberlands, Davidson, Edinboro, Erskine, Findlay, Furman, Gardner-Webb, King, Lees-McRae, Lincoln Memorial, Malone, Methodist, Milligan, Mount Olive, North Greenville, Presbyterian, Queens (N.C.), Queens Triathlon, SCAD Atlanta, SCAD Savannah, Shawnee State, Southeastern U., Southern Wesleyan, Tiffin, Tusculum, Valdosta State, Wake Forest, Wingate.
 

Fans can access the link to live results of the meet at vstateblazers.com on the men's and women's cross country schedule pages. 
 

The VSU Blazers cross country teams look to improve from the NCAA D2 Preview that was held in Saint Leo, Fla.  
 

At the NCAA D2 Preview, the men's and women's teams both finished ninth, with the men with 225 points and the women with 223 points.
 

For the women, senior Angie Cipriani was the first finisher for the Blazers, with a 22:59.0 time and placing 12th overall. Following Cipriani to cross the finish line was junior Samantha Murray with 24:29.2 and senior Leah Johnson with 24:52.1. The women finished the previous races coming in fourth at the VSU Border Clash and 25th in the Florida State Cross Country Open.
 

Junior Brishen House crossed the finish line first for the men, with a time of 26:36.8. Following House was senior Nick Flatt with a time of 27:04.0 and sophomore Logan Kraus with 27:26.2. Like the women's team, the men finished the VSU Border Clash in fourth place, and the Florida State Cross Country Open in 25th place.
 

The last time the Blazers competed in the Royals Challenge was in 2019 when the men's team finished in 11th place with a score of 336. The Blazers men also finished sixth among Division II schools. The top finishers for the men were House and Kraus. House finished 31st overall with a time of 00:26.19, while Kraus finished just behind his teammate at 34th overall.
 

The VSU women placed 17th with a score of 485. Among other Division II schools, the Blazers women finished eighth. Cipriani paced the VSU again, finished 21st overall with ahead of many Division I runners.
 

Following the Royals Challenge, the Blazers will head to the GSC Cross Country Championship in Clinton, Miss., on Saturday, Oct. 23.
 

Check back with vstateblazers.com for information throughout the season on Blazer Cross Country and all 12 Blazer athletic teams or follow Blazer Athletics on social media.