CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's and women's cross country teams will run in five regular season events, including two at home, and host the Southern Conference Championships on its home course in October.
 
The Mocs will host the 25^th annual PowerAde Invitational on Friday, September 9 followed by the high school PowerAde meet on Saturday. The Front Runner Invitational is slated for October 15. Both meets will be held at the Moccasin Bend Race Course.
 
The season will begin Friday, September 2 for the women at the JSU Opener in Jacksonville, Ala., with a 4-kilomter run. The men will head to Nashville for the 5K Belmont Opener the next day.
 
After hosting the PowerAde the next weekend, the Mocs will have three weeks before returning to Jacksonville, Ala., for the JSU Foothills Invitational.
 
"This will be a very good experience for the team," Chattanooga head coach Bill Gautier said. "It's an easy trip and an ideal course for faster times.
 
"The course mimics the design for the conference course and will help us in preparing for the championships."
 
The Front Runner Invitational will close out the regular season, but the Mocs get to remain home for the Southern Conference Championships on the last Saturday of October. This will be UTC's fourth time hosting the meet and will be an added bonus to the Mocs who won't be traveling this year.
 
"It's always a good thing to get to sleep in your own bed," Gautier said. "It's a benefit to be in familiar surroundings, especially with a meet of this magnitude."
 
The NCAA South Region meet will be held in Tallahassee, Fla., on November 11 with the National Championship running in Terre Haute, Ind., one week later.
 
The men will return last year's top runner, all-conference honoree Paul Stuart (Brentwood, Tenn.). He, along with Trevor Janssen (Jordan Station, Ontario), Austin Ethridge (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) and Austin Casassa (Nashville, Tenn.) will provide a core of leadership both on and off the course as well as a large amount of experience.
 
"I'm pleased that Paul decided to remain at Chattanooga," Gautier said of his second semester graduate student. "He is a steadying factor for the team. He knows what to expect from me and is like a coach on the course for the younger runners.

"Trevor sat out last year and it's been two years since he last competed, but he has recommitted himself to the program," Gautier said. "He will be important to the program and could be a huge boost.
 
Also returning for the Mocs in All-Freshman Richard Guiry as well as Mark Britt and John Payne who missed most of last season after an off-season accident sidelined him. Brennan Huber redshirted the season and will be joined on the roster by transfer Gavin Hasty and Nathan Watson.
 
"Our core of returning runners as well as newcomers makes this one of our best teams in a while, but we will have strong competition from the rest of the Southern Conference."
 
The women return all-conference performers Anna Kate Chance (Columbia, Tenn.) and Hannah Chamblin (Memphis, Tenn.) to lead a group of experienced runners. They are joined by seniors Jessica York and Maddison Melchionna (Afton, Tenn.).
 
"These four are an outstanding group of runners," Gautier said. "Jessie makes the finals in track and Maddison holds two school records in the 800 meter. I'm proud of their accomplishments and confident in these four.
 
"In the past they have relied on their teammates to be the leaders, but now it is their turn. They are going to be counted on for leadership."
 
After a strong track and field season, Haley Morris is expected to fill the fifth spot for the women but she will have some competition from freshmen Kennedy Thomson, Hannah Caldwell and Julia Henderson.
 
"Kennedy is a strong runner," Gautier said. "We hope that she will continue our tradition of outstanding Canadian runners here at UTC. Hannah and Julia were both top cross country contenders in high school and will be heavily counted on at UTC."