Lumberjack Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Teams to Begin 2021 Season at Home
Humboldt State’s men’s and women’s cross country teams will begin its 2021 season at Baywood Golf & Country Club in Arcata, Calif., hosting the Humboldt Invitational which will begin at 8:30am. This will be the first of four invitationals that the Lumberjacks, under the direction of head coach Jamey Harris, will participate in prior to the 2021 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship on October 23 in San Marcos.
“Our season opener will again be at Baywood,” said Harris. “We'll get a preview of the Regionals course at the Mike Johnson Classic. The Lewis Crossover will be an important race for us. That's a great opportunity for us to set ourselves up to earn an at-large berth to the National Championships. After that, we'll turn our attention to the post-season. The CCAA Championships at San Marcos and then the NCAA West Regional Championships back up in Monmouth.”
The Lumberjacks have not run since the 2019 season. During the 2019 season, HSU had its men’s national qualifier in Daniel Tull since 2012 when Austin Huff earned All-American honors. In 2017, Tatiana Gillick qualified for the nationals on the women’s side. The men as a team finished sixth at the CCAA Championships and 11th at the NCAA Division II West Regionals. HSU’s women finished in seventh at the CCAA’s and 13th at the regionals.
The Lumberjack men have a lot of returners from that team including Michael Gengo, Elliott Portillo and Shane Burton. Over on the women’s side, HSU returns three runners from 2019 in Rosa Granados, Lucy Atkinson, Saedy Williamson
After hosting their invitational on September 18, the ‘Jacks will return to the course on September 24 when the Lumberjacks travel north to Monmouth, Ore., when they participate in the Mike Johnson Classic at the Ash Creek Preserve. This is the course that the NCAA Division II West Region Championship will take place on November 6.
Humboldt State will be off for two weeks before traveling to Romeoville, Ill., to participate in the Lewis Crossover Classic on the campus of Lewis University on October 9. The next Saturday, October 16, HSU will travel to the Bay Area when they participate in the Bronco Invitational at Baylands Park in Sunnyvale, Calif.
One week later, HSU will participate in the 2021 CCAA Championships in San Marcos, Calif., on October 23. The ‘Jacks will take two weeks off to prepare for the NCAA Division II West Regional Championship in Monmouth, Ore., on November 6. At the regionals, HSU will look to qualify for the nationals which are set for November 20 at the Abbey Golf Course in Tampa, Fla., on Nov. 20.