EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The 2022 cross country season will officially get underway on Saturday morning for the University of Evansville cross country teams, as the Purple Aces will take part in the John McNichols Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana. 

The meet will be the first meet at UE for new Director of Cross Country/Track & Field Brooks LeCompte.  LeCompte previously served as the head cross country coach at Western Kentucky University, before being named the Director of Cross Country/Track & Field at UE on July 5.  He will lead a UE program which features six male runners and seven female runners into Saturday's meet.

The John McNichols Invitational will feature 21 different teams, including 14 Division I programs on Saturday.  The men's 8-K race will kick off the meet at 9 a.m. eastern, with the women's race following at 9:45 eastern.  The Division I teams scheduled to compete alongside UE include Belmont, Illinois, Indiana State, IUPUI, Louisville, Milwaukee, Missouri, Missouri State, Purdue, Purdue Fort Wayne, Southern Illinois, Toledo, and UIC.

"I think that our runners have adjusted well to our running program over the last month," said LeCompte.  "I am sure that some of them will be a little tired tomorrow when they race, but there is also no doubt in my mind that a lot of them will also go faster than they ever have before."

Saturday's meet will be the first of three regular-season meets for UE, as the Purple Aces will also compete in the annual Live In Lou Classic on October 1 and the 20th-annual UE Invitational on October 15.  The post-season will begin for UE with the Missouri Valley Conference Championships on October 28.