Meredith Athletics Update 8/10/16

As the campus prepares for the arrival of new students August 20 and returning students soon to follow, the Meredith athletics staff looks forward to fall sports teams livening up the halls Wednesday, Aug. 17. Cross country, soccer, and volleyball Avenging Angels return to campus a few days early in order to begin practice as early as the NCAA will allow.

After much planning in athletics, as well as much needed collaboration from the orientation team and session leaders, the fall teams will move-in Wednesday morning and hit the ground running. NCAA compliance, health pre-screenings, orthopedic physicals, and concussion baseline testing name just a few of the athlete sessions to launch the season.

Soccer will host their annual alumnae match on the turf field Saturday, Aug. 20 at 5:30 p.m. All three teams open the regular season in early September. Volleyball will host Elizabeth City State Wednesday, Sept. 14 in the first home match and fans can enjoy two full days of USA South volleyball September 30 and October 1 with back-to-back quad matches.

Instead of hosting the annual Meredith Classic on Labor Day weekend, the soccer Avenging Angels opted for a tougher non-conference slate beginning at the Salisbury Seagulls Classic in Maryland September 2 and 3. Meredith opens at home on September 24 with N.C. Wesleyan before a chance to avenge a 2015 USA South Tournament semifinals loss versus the Methodist Monarchs the following afternoon.

The cross country Avenging Angels travel to Elon University September 1 to open the 2016 campaign. This 4,000 meter race, along with a 5K at Barton College a week later, mark the only short races of this year’s season. Second-year Head Coach Leslie Payne amped up this year’s schedule to include more 6,000 meter events to prepare the team for the USA South Championship and NCAA Regional meets.

Learn more about these and other members of the Meredith athletics program and follow the Avenging Angels at goavengingangels.com, Facebook and Twitter.

Submitted by Wendy Jones, Sports Information Director