BOONEVILLE, Miss. - A date is on the calendar for the official debut of the brand-new Northeast Mississippi Community College cross country programs.
The Lady Tigers and Tigers will approach the starting line for the first time ever on Friday, August 30 at the Jacksonville State (Ala.) University hosted Foothills Invitational.
The rare evening meet is the first of five competitions in the regular season for both Northeast teams. The men and the women will share the same schedule throughout their inaugural campaign.
"The goal this year was to get in a lot of those races against the athletes that we're competing against in conference," said Northeast head coach Aaron Hight. "I want to put our names out there quick. We've got some girls that can really put some good times down and same thing with the guys."
The Lady Tigers and Tigers, who are the one of only three teams from the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC), will match up against some of the top talent in the Southeast. That includes runners from NCAA divisions I, II, III and NAIA institutions.
A majority of Northeast's events will take place in the neighboring state of Alabama. The lone exception is the Belhaven Invitational at Mississippi College's Choctaw Trails on the first Saturday of October.
Choctaw Trails should be a familiar venue to a majority of Northeast's roster. It is the site of the annual Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) championships for all seven classifications.
Two races are on the docket for the Lady Tigers and Tigers in the month of September. The University of North Alabama Invitational on the seventh will serve as the initial 8K race for the men.
Northeast is back in action on the 21st for the University of Tennessee Southern's Firehawk Invitational at the Oakville Indian Mounds Park. This will be the Lady Tigers' first 6K meet of the year.
Both Northeast teams make their final preparations for the postseason at the UAH Chargers Invitational on Saturday, October 12. They will return to John Hunt Park two weeks later for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 22 championship.
National tournament berths are on the line for the Lady Tigers and Tigers at regionals, which will predominantly feature members of the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC).
"Part of the strategy there was making sure they got to experience the course before they get to conference," Hight said. "I've talked to a couple of (the ACCC) coaches and they're excited to have us. We want to show up and perform well."