New Paltz, NY -- The 2021 State University of New York at New Paltz cross country schedule was released Wednesday, with a familiar beginning to the season on the horizon.

For the fifth consecutive season the team will begin its campaign in Poughkeepsie Sept. 1 where Vassar College will host the Vassar Season Starter, women's 3K and men's 4K race to open up the year. And, just like in the last half-decade, the Hawks will then head back across the river to compete in the Vassar Ron Stonitsch Invite in their first 5K and 6K, respectively, of the season. In 2019 (the last competitive season for SUNY New Paltz due to COVID-19), the Hawks men's team finished in fourth place out of six at the Stonitsch Invitational, while the women finished third out of seven. 

The Vassar Stonisch Invitational will be followed by the Hawk Invitational, which will take place Friday, Sept. 17 at the Hudson Valley Sports Complex in Milton, NY. In 2019, the women won the meet, while the men placed second on the day. Eight days later after SUNY New Paltz's first and only home race of the year, is the Purple Valley Invite hosted by Williams College in Williamstown, MA, marking the second-straight season the Hawks have competed in the event. The team will then travel to SUNY Geneseo for the Mike Woods Invitational on Oct. 2, followed by the RPI Invitational Oct. 8 and the Connecticut College Invitational Oct. 16. In the last three years, the best finish for the Hawks at the Connecticut College Invitational was fifth place by the women in 2017.

The SUNYAC Championships are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 30 in Cortland, NY with the NCAA DIII Atlantic Regionals set to begin two weeks later in Geneseo, NY. In 2019, both Hawks programs qualified for regionals where the women placed ninth of 28 teams, and the men placed 14th of 42 teams. The 2021 NCAA DIII Cross Country Championships will be held in Louisville, KY, hosted by the Spalding and Louisville Sports Commission. SUNY New Paltz qualified a program-most three runners at the 2019 NCAA Championships, including returning senior Reed Williams. 

To view the Hawks' full women's cross country schedule, click here.
To view the Hawks' full men's cross country schedule, click here.

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