Virginia to host ACC Cross Country Championships Friday

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Virginia men’s and women’s cross country programs are set to host the ACC Cross Country Championships at Panorama Farms on Friday for the first time since 2014, as a total of 12 nationally ranked teams will be in action. The men’s 8k race will start at 10:40 a.m. followed by the women’s 6k at 11:30 a.m.

How to Watch
The ACC Cross Country Championships will be broadcast on ACC Network and will also be streamed through the ESPN app and at WatchESPN.com for customers who have the ACC Network as part of their television subscription. Live results are also available and links to both the live broadcast and live stats are available at VirginiaSports.com. Fans can also get updates by following the program’s official Twitter account (@UVAtfcc).

Tough Competition
The ACC is one of the deepest conferences in NCAA Cross Country as the league boasts a total of 12 ranked teams – the most of any conference in NCAA Division I. Among those ranked with the nation’s best is the top-ranked and reigning national champion NC State women.

Men’s Ranked Teams (7)
No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 8 Wake Forest, No. 12 NC State, No. 13 Virginia, No. 16 Syracuse, No. 18 North Carolina, No. 29 Duke

Women’s Ranked Teams (5)
No. 1 NC State, No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 8 North Carolina, No. 15 Syracuse, No. 25 Virginia

NOTES

• Friday will mark the 11th time Virginia will host the ACC Cross Country Championships
• Panorama Farms will serve as the host site for the fourth time, and the first since 2014
• The last time the meet was held at Panorama Farms, the Syracuse men and North Carolina women won the team titles
• Of the six years Virginia has hosted the women’s championship, NC State has won the title four times
• Virginia has won an ACC Championship on its home course just once when the men accomplished the feat in 2007
• The Virginia men have won the title four times (1984, 2005, 2007 and 2008)
• The Virginia women have lifted the ACC trophy three times (1981, 1982 and 2015)
• Virginia’s Margaret Groos won the first-ever ACC women’s cross country championship in 1978 – four Cavaliers have accomplished the feat since including Lesley Welch (1982), Patty Matava (1987) and Claire Forbes (1992)
• Two UVA men have been crowned ACC individual Champions including Ryan Foster (2008) and Emil Heineking (2009, 2010)
• Margot Appleton has led the Cavaliers in each race this season – most recently Appleton ran the third-fastest 5k time ever recorded at Panorama Farms
• The Virginia women are undefeated in their four races this season
• The Virginia men have had three different top finishers in their four races this season
• Redshirt-freshman Justin Wachtel has led the Cavalier pack to the finish twice this season
• Last season, the Virginia men finished eighth while the women finished 10th at the ACC Championships

It’s @theACC Championship week HERE at Panorama Farms!

Hear what Director of Cross Country and Track & Field, Vin Lananna had to say this morning ahead of Friday’s races 🎙

Full Presser: https://t.co/iZ3jKOA1Tt#GoHoos⚔️ #XC23 pic.twitter.com/MSeENOoLx2

— Virginia Track & Field and Cross Country (@UVATFCC) October 25, 2022

The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash
The Smithfield Commonwealth Clash, originally called the Commonwealth Challenge (2005-2007), has been a part of the UVA-Virginia Tech rivalry since 2014. It is an all-sports, points-based program with the Commonwealth Clash trophy presented to the winning school each year for its dominance in head-to-head competitions.

In men’s and women’s cross country, the commonwealth clash point is awarded to the team that finishes higher at the ACC Championships. Virginia currently leads the competition with 1.5 points compared to 0.5 points from the Hokies.

Best Spectator Route to Panorama Farms:
The Virginia track and field program recommends that spectators use the following routes to avoid traffic when attending the XC Invitational at Panorama Farms.

From the South:
Head Northbound on US 29/Seminole Trail to Rio Rd. Turn left (westbound) on Rio Rd. Take Rio Rd. to Berkmar Dr. and turn right (northbound). Take Berkmar Dr. to Rio Mills Rd. and turn left (westbound). Take Rio Mills Rd. to Earlysville Rd. and turn left (soutbound). Take Earlysville Rd. to Panorama Rd. and turn right (westbound). Continue on Panorama Rd. to entrance of Panorama Farms.

From the North:
Head Southbound on US 29/Seminole Trail to Rio Rd. Turn right (westbound) onto Rio Rd. Take Rio Rd. to Berkmar Dr. and turn right (northbound). Take Berkmar Dr. to Rio Mills Rd. and turn left (westbound). Take Rio Mills Rd. to Earlysville Rd. and turn left (soutbound). Take Earlysville Rd. to Panorama Rd. and turn right (westbound). Continue on Panorama Rd. to entrance of Panorama Farms.

ADA golf carts will be available for those that need to be shuttled closer to the start line area.

Panorama Farms & XC23
In addition to serving as the host site for the 2022 ACC Cross Country Championships, the venue will play host to the 2023 NCAA Championships in November of next year.