The University of Illinois Springfield cross country program announced its 2019 schedule on Thursday. First-year head coach Tyler Pence has a new look to the schedule with UIS going to two events for the first time in its history.
 
The 2019 season will open up with the annual Prairie Stars Invitational on Sept. 6. This will be the fifth year of the competition on the UIS campus, and the Prairie Stars will be looking for their third straight victory on both the men's and women's sides.
 
UIS will next travel to its two new competitions at the Spartan Invitational (Sept. 13) and Loyola Lakefront Invitational (Sept. 28). Both events usually attract between 250-400 runners on both the men's and women's sides, and includes runners from all levels of collegiate cross country.
 
The regular season will end with the Lewis Crossover, an event the program has attended the last three years. The meet is another large competition, although the field is made up of just NCAA Division II programs from across the nation.
 
This upcoming season's postseason events will see UIS travelling to Evansville, Ind. on Oct. 26 and Nov. 9. The first date will be the GLVC Championships, while the second date is the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championships.
 
Last year, both men's and women's teams set program-bests at the conference meet as the men finished third and the women came in seventh. The men's team will return all-conference runners Tyler Pasley and Blake Jones, as they finished fifth and 12^th, respectively, at the 2018 meet. The women's team will be led by Taryn Christy, last year's GLVC Freshman of the Year.

Complete men's schedule
Complete women's schedule