Tigers Cross Country Opens Season Saturday Night

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The final University of Memphis fall sports season kicks off late Saturday night with the Tigers men's and women's cross country squads competing in the 14^th annual Brooks Twilight Classic.

The women's 5k run is set to start at 9:20 p.m. (CT), with the men's four-mile race to follow at 10 p.m. (CT). The Mike Rose Soccer Complex, located in Collierville, Tenn., hosts the annual event.

The 2016 Brooks Twilight Classic field includes 51 teams – men and women combined – representing 28 colleges throughout the Southeast. Some of the NCAA Division I program joining Memphis in the season-opening event are Arkansas State, Central Arkansas, Little Rock, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Tulane and UAB.

The classic's field also has a local flavor with Memphis, Christian Brothers and LeMoyne-Owen all competing in Saturday night's meet.

"We're excited to get the season started," said Tigers head coach Kevin Robinson. "We're looking to start with a fresh slate. (Distance) Coach (Ken) Frenette has been with us now for about a year since he joined us midway through last season's cross country schedule. He's been with our distance runners all spring and has put together a preseason training schedule. They've had time to develop under his system, and that's going to help with injury prevention."

Injuries dominated the Memphis cross country season in 2015. Kristen Adams, the women's top performer as a freshman in 2014, did not compete in 2015 due to injuries. On the men's side, the injury bug even kept the Tigers coaches guessing who would compete each week.

"We're looking for Kristen to bounce back after an injury-riddled season a year ago," Robinson said. "For the men, we're looking to move past last season. It was probably the most difficult season I've had with the men's program. We went into last season thinking we were okay, but as the season progressed, we kept losing runners to injuries and illnesses. We could never get healthy enough to bounce back."

Memphis enters 2016 not only healthy, but also with a competitive hunger. It's something Robinson likes to see. However, he cautions that the squads are depending on newcomers to contribute, and he and the coaching staff will see where they stand after Saturday's races.

"There are a lot of positives right now, but we'll know more after Saturday night," said Robinson. "On the men's side, the group has been competitive in its training. For the women, Martina (Rodriguez Sala) is poised to have a great senior season. Chelsea (Ladd) and Bailey (Kennemer) had tremendous outdoor seasons and both have come back in phenomenal condition.

"We have so many newcomers on both teams, so this first meet will tell us a lot. This race is going to be good for us to see how the newcomers keep their composure and what kind of competitive tenacity they have."

The Tigers look to improve on their 2015 Brooks Twilight Classic performances. Last year, Memphis posted top-10 team finishes in both races, with the women seventh and men 10^th. Rodriguez Sala and Ladd were the women's top two finishers a year ago, and Brock Ballard is the men's top returnee from the 2015 classic.

"It's a really neat experience to run under the lights," Robinson said. "It's great being able to keep our runners at home and have their families and friends see them compete. It's also a time for our entire track and field teams to rally around our cross country squads."

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Players Mentioned

Kristen Adams

Brock Ballard

University of Memphis Athletics