2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships: Schedule, TV Coverage, and Top Contenders

The 2024 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships are set to take place on Saturday, November 23, at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Verona, Wisconsin. This prestigious event will host the fastest men’s and women’s collegiate runners, with the women’s 6K race starting at 10:20 a.m. ET and the men’s 10K race following at 11:10 a.m. ET.

Fans can watch the championships live on ESPNU and the ESPN app, with coverage beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET. The event will also be available in the ESPN college sports streaming hub.

The defending champions from the 2023 season are Oklahoma State for the men and NC State for the women. NC State has dominated the women’s category, winning the national championship for the past three years.

Other top contenders include BYU, which is favored to win the women’s team title after a strong season with only one loss. Oregon is also a strong contender, having improved significantly since the start of the season.

The championships will be held across different NCAA divisions, with Division II and Division III events taking place on the same day but at different locations. Division II will be held at the Arcade Creek Cross Country Course in Sacramento, California, and Division III at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The selection process for the championships involves regional championships, with the top two teams from each of the nine regions automatically qualifying, along with additional at-large selections. Individuals also qualify through a combination of automatic and at-large selections.

The University of Virginia‘s men’s and women’s teams are among those competing, having qualified automatically from the Southeast Regional. Virginia’s teams have a rich history in the championships, with the women’s team finishing ninth in 2001 and 2022, and the men’s team aiming to improve on their 22nd place finish last season.