Duke Men Travel to JMU Invitational

9/11/2014 2:21:00 PM | Cross Country

By: Duke Sports Information

DURHAM, N.C. -- After opening the 2014 season at the Virginia Duals Aug. 29, the Duke men's cross country team returns to action Saturday, Sept. 13, making the trip to Harrisonburg, Va., for the JMU Invite.

Four additional Division I opponents, including Concord, Longwood, Virginia Military Institute and George Mason join the field at the JMU Invite. During the 2012 season, Duke defeated George Mason by one point at the NCAA Southeast Region Championships, advancing the Blue Devils to the NCAA Championships that year.

Duke sends a contingent of 18 runners to compete over the 7,900-meter course Saturday morning. Junior Henry Farley toes the line for the second time this season after pacing the Blue Devils in the season-opener at the Virginia Duals with a third-place overall finish. Joining Farley in competing for the second time this season are sophomores Daniel Moore and Brian Benesch and freshmen Alec Kunzweiler and Shane Kreidel. The four runners placed fifth, 12th, 13th and 21st, respectively, in the team's first meet of the season.

For a myriad of Duke runners, Saturday's competition serves as the season opener. Senior Phil Fairleigh enters his first cross country competition since 2013, when he helped Duke win the Royal Cross Country Challenge by placing eighth overall at the event. Juniors William Rooney and Blake Udland also don the Duke jersey for the first time this season following sophomore campaigns that saw Rooney compete at both the conference and regional championships and Udland participate in the ACC Championship meet.

Seniors Brian Schoepfer and Nate McClafferty, juniors Eddie Merenda and William Hague, and sophomores Aaron Liberatore and Weston Carvalho are also scheduled to compete, while Saturday's competition acts as the first collegiate race for numerous members of the team, including freshmen Sean Kelly, Josiah Hanko, Matt Luppino and Kyle Francis.