If you are trying to follow Maryland cross country this Saturday, good luck picking just one meet.
September 19th brings one of the busiest weekends of the early season, with major invitationals scattered across Maryland and several of the state's programs heading across state lines. Some teams we highlighted as potential breakout programs will get their next tests, defending champions will meet across classifications, and two of Maryland's top boys programs will compete thousands of miles apart.
Here are just some of the meets worth watching.
Richard Barnhart Memorial Invitational - Cockeysville, MD (Host: Dulaney HS)
Barnhart brings together one of Saturday's deepest Maryland fields, with Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Dulaney, Winston Churchill, Hereford, and several strong private-school programs among the entries.
It also provides an interesting early test for Towson. The Generals were one of our boys teams ready to make the jump, and Barnhart gives their developing pack an opportunity to measure itself against several established programs.
Chesapeake Invitational - Pasadena, MD (Host: Chesapeake HS)
The girls race gives us another chance to check in on Archbishop Spalding, one of our preseason breakout picks. The Cavaliers' new-look lineup will share the meet with Crofton, South River, Oakdale, and Governor Thomas Johnson.
On the boys side, Crofton and Oakdale provide an intriguing cross-classification matchup after finishing fourth in 4A and fifth in 3A, respectively, at last year's state championships.
Eagle Invitational - Ellicott City, MD (Host: Centennial HS)
Want defending champions? Centennial has you covered.
Four reigning state championship teams are scheduled for Eagle: Centennial's 3A champion boys, River Hill's 2A champion boys, Severna Park's 3A champion girls and Liberty's 1A champion girls.
Northwood's boys and Centennial's girls add two more teams that reached state top three finishes last November, and the Liberty boys were featured in our teams ready to make the jump article, making Eagle one of Saturday's best opportunities to see contenders from several classifications all in the same place.
Georgetown Prep Classic - North Bethesda, MD (Host: Georgetown Prep)
The Georgetown Prep Classic mixes Maryland programs with teams from D.C. and Virginia.
For Maryland, Sherwood headlines an interesting boys field after finishing just seven points behind Centennial for the 3A title last fall. This is also another place to find teams from our recent breakout list as Montgomery Blair's girls will be there.
Knights Classic — Sykesville, MD (Host: Century HS)
Saturday will test our 2A predictions in our recent “Teams Ready to Make the Jump” pieces.
Both Middletown teams made those lists, and both will race at Knights after finishing eighth and tenth in their respective 2A state championship races last fall. Century, Boonsboro, Westminster, Manchester Valley, and Walkersville are also among the 12-team field.
Skip Grant Invitational — Derwood, MD (Host: St. Albans)
Skip Grant offers a different look at the region, bringing together a largely private school and D.C.-area field that includes DeMatha, Good Counsel, Bullis, St. Albans, Landon, Georgetown Day, and Sidwell Friends.
With many of Maryland's public-school powers scattered across the day's other invitationals, Skip Grant offers a chance to watch the private schools of the DMV cross-country landscape go head to head.
Berkeley Springs Invitational - Berkeley Springs, West Virginia (Host: Berkeley Springs HS)
Brunswick and Frederick head west to represent Maryland in a ten team interstate field at Cacapon Resort State Park.
Keep an eye on the Brunswick girls, another program from our teams ready to jump list. The Railroaders will get an opportunity to measure their early progress against competition they don't regularly see in Maryland.
Woodbridge Cross Country Classic - Irvine, California (Host: Woodbridge HS)
Maryland's defending 4A boys champion is going considerably farther from home.
Urbana travels to California for the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic, joining programs from across the country in the Gold Division for nighttime racing at the Great Park in Irvine.
Urbana's athletes will be spread across freshman, junior, senior and varsity races throughout Saturday evening, culminating with Gold Varsity Boys B at 8:22 p.m. (pacific time). For the defending Maryland champions, it will be an early season test unlike anything they'll see back home.
Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational - Louisville, Kentucky (Host: Trinity (Louisville)
While Urbana heads to the west coast, Calvert Hall heads southwest to Kentucky.
The Cardinals will represent Maryland at the massive Trinity/Valkyrie Invitational in Louisville, where the field includes programs from Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia and beyond.
For the defending MIAA champions, the trip offers a chance to test a deep and experienced roster outside the familiar Maryland private-school landscape. Calvert Hall has made no secret of having ambitions beyond simply defending its conference title, and a large interstate meet like Trinity/Valkyrie provides an early measuring stick for those bigger goals.