Cross Country To Run In Austin Peay Festival

Saturday, September 23

Clarksville, Tenn.

9 am

University of Memphis

Austin Peay Festival (M: 6k/W: 5k)

Lauren Wheeler, 2017 Women's Cross Country

Photo by: Steve Austell

Sep 21, 2017 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Action begins at 9 a.m. (CT) Saturday morning.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Before the University of Memphis cross country season opener Sept. 2, head coach Kevin Robinson said the following of the Tigers' early schedule:

"Early on, we're trying to race more and determine who we are, and we'll learn that through competition. That is the mindset behind having a heavy early schedule: to compete and measure our teams in order to prepare us for later in the season."

That heavy early-season schedule continues Saturday when the Tigers men's and women's squads make the three-hour trek to Clarksville, Tenn., to race in the fourth-annual Austin Peay Cross Country Festival. Liberty Park in Clarksville is the host site for the two collegiate races.

Saturday's race is the second in a "three-in-a-row" stretch for the Tigers. Memphis competed in last week's Rhodes College Invitational – with both teams placing second – and, next Saturday, goes to Louisville, Ky., for the Greater Louisville Classic.

This three-straight race stretch is the longest since 2007 when the Tigers competed in five-straight races without an off weekend. Saturday's race also is the third of four for Memphis before the calendar turns to the month of October. The last time a Tigers men's team ran four races before Oct. 1 was in 2002. For the women's program, the last time came in 2001.

Austin Peay Cross Country Festival Schedule

Time (CT)	Race	Distance
9 a.m.	Men	4 miles
9:45 a.m.	Women	5k

Competing Teams
Men (10): Austin Peay, Bethel University, Cleveland State C.C., Evansville, Fontbonne, Kentucky Wesleyan, Lindsey Wilson (varsity and junior varsity), Memphis, University of the South

Women (8): Austin Peay, Cleveland State C.C., Evansville, Fontbonne, Kentucky Wesleyan, Lindsey Wilson, Memphis, University of the South

Head coach Kevin Robinson comments on Austin Peay Cross Country Festival
"We have the ability to run much better (than we have so far this season). We have to do a better job of being competitive. We haven't hit our competitive stride. We're getting passed (in races) and not reacting, responding in those situations. That is something that both squads are struggling with. We need to get tougher and more competitive. On the men's side, getting Julian (Sanchez-Pinto) back in the mix is going to help because he is one of our frontrunners. I'm excited to get him back, but it's going to take some time before he's race-sharp. We're still learning, still growing. We have the ability to step up and be a competitive program on both sides, but it's not going to come easy. We've got to put the gas pedal down and get serious about it now."

Tigers Tidbits

For the third-straight race, the women's squad runs a 5k race. The Tigers women also ran 5k races at the Brooks Twilight Classic (5^th) and Rhodes College Invitational (2^nd). After last week's 8k Rhodes College Invitational, the men's squad runs another four-miler this Saturday. The Memphis men also ran a four-mile race at the season-opening Brooks Twilight Classic and placed sixth.
As head coach Kevin Robinson said above, Tigers men's senior Julian Sanchez-Pinto returns to action Saturday. He missed the first two races of 2017 with an injury. Last year, Sanchez-Pinto won the men's four-mile event at the Austin Peay Festival.
Four of the men's top-five runners from last year's squad that won the team title are competing Saturday. In addition to Sanchez-Pinto, Matthew Viveiros (2^nd), Matthew Kamph (3^rd) and Brock Ballard (21^st) will run.
Paige Sandwell, Megan Briley and Lauren Wheeler are the only three returnees that ran at the 2016 Austin Peay Cross Country Festival. Arnica Zitting did not run last season, as she was rested that weekend.
Sandwell (3^rd), Briley (4^th) and Wheeler (7^th) all recorded career-high 5k finishes at last season's Austin Peay Invitational.