CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard cross country returns to action this weekend, as the Crimson travel to the Keystone State for the Paul Short Run at Lehigh University. The men's race will begin at 11:00 AM, while the women's race kicks off at 11:30 AM in Bethlehem, Pa.

WHAT TO KNOW:

• The Crimson began the cross country season in early September, competing in the historic HY meet.
• The men's team, who finished in 15^th at the 2023 NCAA Cross Country Championships, sits in 12^th in the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Coaches Poll.
• In the regional rankings, the women's team is ranked fourth, while the men are the top ranked squad in the Northeast.
• Harvard returns one of the best runners in the nation, as the 2023 NCAA Men's Cross Country National Champion Graham Blanks is back for senior season. A native of Athens, Georgia and a 2024 Paris Olympian for Team USA, Blanks went undefeated in all cross country competitions last season.
• On the women's side, Ella Gilson returns to campus after earning NCAA Northeast All-Region honors last season.
• Harvard's men's team is running the Paul Short Run for the first time since 2016, while the women's squad is competing in the event for the first time since 2014.
• This is the 50^th running of the Paul Short Run, as the meet first took place in 1969.

UP NEXT:

After a week off, the Crimson will split between two meets on Friday, Oct. 18 and Sunday, Oct. 19. One group will compete at the 2024 ECAC/IC4A Championships, while the rest of squad will travel west to Madison, Wisconsin for Pre-Nationals.

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