Cross Country releases 2020 schedule

( Photo / Troy Athletics )Hanna Cooper A week before its opening race of the season, the Troy Cross Country team released its 2020 schedule Friday. “We are all just very thankful for the opportunity our administrators and the Sun Belt have created for us this year,” Head Coach Elliot Blount said. “With all the challenges that are facing society right now, the ability to bond with other like-minded individuals in a common pursuit is such a necessary lesson for us.” The Sun Belt Conference reported it would delay the first permissible date of competition for the 2020-21 Academic year to Sept. 3 shortening the season for the Trojans. The team will finally open the season at the Azalea City Classic held by in-state conference rival South Alabama on Friday, Sept. 11. Last season, the men and women brought home their best finishes on the season in the Azalea City Classic, placing second. After traveling down South to Mobile, Alabama, the Trojans return home on Saturday, Sept. 26, for the John “Doc” Anderson Invite. This marks the first home meet held by Troy since the 2016 season where the men won the race and the women finished second. Troy will then head to another familiar race for the UAB Blazer Classic in Montevallo, Alabama, on Friday, Oct. 16. A year ago, the women’s team finished 14th and the men finished 10th at this same meet. The final race of the shortened season will be the annual Sun Belt Conference Championship. The conference championship will be held in Mobile, Alabama, on Saturday, Oct. 31. “We very much look forward to representing the university this upcoming year at the Sun Belt conference in Mobile this October,” Blount said. To keep up with all the latest news on the cross country team, follow along at tropnews.com or check the weekly print edition of the Tropolitan.