MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University cross country team opens the 2019 season at the Lehigh Invitational in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on Friday, Aug. 30.
 
The women's 6k race is slated to begin at 6:15 p.m. ET, at the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course, the site of the 2019 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on Nov. 15. WVU is one of 12 schools racing in the season opener, which also features DeSales, La Salle, Lehigh, LIU Brooklyn, Moravian, Muhlenberg, NJIT, Rutgers, Scranton, Temple and Ursinus.
 
"Any time we get a chance to go to Lehigh to race, we're excited," coach Sean Cleary said ahead of his 13th season at the helm. "It's one of the most historic courses, not only on the East Coast, but probably in the entire country. The girls look forward to this trip every year. The main objective for this weekend is to get over there and get the entire program to view the course, reacquaint themselves with the course or see it for the very first time.
 
"We'll be going back to the NCAA Regionals at Lehigh in mid-November, and I want them to be able to visualize this throughout the season. For those young ladies who are racing, it's an opportunity for them to wear the Gold and Blue and establish themselves as potential runners trying to earn a spot for the Big 12 and Regional Championships later in the year."
 
Friday's race marks the Mountaineers' fifth visit to Lehigh since 2009, having competed in the Paul Short Invitational and the Lehigh Invitational. The team has competed in the Lehigh Invitational three times, including season-opening victories in 2014 and 2017.
 
Ten letterwinners return for WVU in 2019, while two newcomers joined the squad this fall. The Mountaineers finished fourth at the 2018 Big 12 Championship before coming in sixth place at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional.
 
In the 2019 United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) preseason regional rankings, West Virginia ranked fifth in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
 
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