Friday, September 9
Meet: Howard County Invitational
When: 3:00pm
Where: Centennial HS, Ellicott City, MD
The racing season gets off to a great start with the perennial Howard County Invitational. The Centennial course is very rough and tough, presenting the runner with ample hills and steep climbs to make him/her earn their times wholeheartedly. At the start of the 2nd mile and at the end of the 2nd mile, you must ascend a short but extremely challenging uphill that has become the most important mark of the course. It is a bit over 5k, so times may be a little slow, but hard earned. Last year, the race was won by Sergiy Zubko in 17:13, and looks to be the favorite again this year. However, he will be challenged by 2004 2A XC State Champion Andrew Revelle of Atholton. Look for these two to make it a sprint at the finish. On the girls side, Alison Smith of Atholton is thes strong favorite, but Wilde Lake\'s Katie Williams and the Sinclair Sisters from Montgomery Blair should be right on her heels.
So far, the teams attending are as follows:
Annapolis, Atholton, Blake, Centennial, Century, Chapelgate, Glenelg, Glenelg Country, Hammond, Howard, Long Reach, Marriots Ridge, Montgomery Blair, Mount Hebron, Northeast, Oakland Mills, Paint Branch, Reservoir, River Hill, St. James School, Seneca Valley, Severna Park, South Carroll, St. Johns, Walter Johnson, Wheaton, and Wilde Lake
Saturday, September 10
Meet: Barhnardt Invitational
Where: Dulaney HS
This meet looks to be a huge opener for a number of teams. 2004 winner Lauren Capone will return to defend her title as the home team\'s Sara Cimino will look to dethrone her. On the boys side, Vince Walsh from Dulaney is the strongest returning runner, but Broadneck will be attending and Matt Centrowitz is a legitimate threat to win the meet. The teams attending are Broadneck, Catonsville, CMW, Carver, Dulaney, Franklin, Loch Raven, John Carroll, Kenwood, Loyola, Mt. De Sales, Parkville, Patapsco, Towson, Winston Churchill, and Woodlawn (girls).
Meet: Mount St. Mary\'s HS Invitational
Where: Mt. St. Mary\'s 5k course, Emmittsburg, MD
This meet will field over 30 teams and will be just as competitve as last year. The teams attending are Academy of Holy Cross, Archbishop Curley, BCC, Bishop O\'Connell, Bryn Mawr, Calvert Hall, DeMatha, Fairfax, Gonzaga, Grace Bretheren, Magruder, Maryvale Prep, Mt. St. Joe\'s, Cathedral, Northern, Northwest, Notre Dame Prep, Good Counsel, Paul IV, Perry Hall, Quince Orchard, Reading, Richard Montgomery, Rising Sun, Springbrook, St. Albans, Stone Ridge, Susquahannock, The Heights, Walt Whitman, Westminster, and Wheaton.
Meet: Spiked Shoe Invitational
Where: Johns Hopkins University 5k course, Baltimore, MD
The MD teams attending will be Albert Einstein, Arundel, LaPlata, Thomas Stone, Watkins Mill, and Huntingtown.
Meet: Gettysburg Invitational
Where: Gettysburg, MD
The MD teams attending will be Bel Air, North Carroll, Pikesville, Tuscarora, and Walkersville.
Other meets on Saturday:
Frank Keyser Invite - Boonsboro HS
Goucher Invite - Goucher College
Panther Path Invite - Patuxent HS
Towson Invitational - Towson, MD
Reviews at the end of the weekend! Good luck at your first invite of the season everyone!