Tigers Cross Country Heads To Crimson Classic Friday

Friday, October 14

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

9 am

University of Memphis

Crimson Classic

Chelsea Ladd, 2016 Women's Cross Country

Photo by: Steve Austell

Tigers Cross Country Heads To Crimson Classic Friday

Oct 12, 2016 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Men's, women's races are final tune-up for conference championships in late October.

Crimson Classic Live Results

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After a two week break from competition, the University of Memphis men's and women's cross country teams return to action Friday, Oct. 14 at University of Alabama's Crimson Classic in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The Crimson Classic starts Friday morning with men's race at 9 a.m. (CT). The women's 6k follows at 9:45 a.m. (CT). The Harry Pritchett Running Park, which held the 2015 NCAA South Region Championships, is the host site for Friday's races.

Thirty-five collegiate men's and women's programs from across the South are scheduled to run. Among the teams competing are fellow American Athletic Conference foe Houston, Atlantic Coast Conference members Florida State and Georgia Tech, and Southeastern Conference rivals Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

Friday's races are going to provide challenges not only from the opposing teams but also the course itself.

"When we ran at Austin Peay in late September, it allowed our younger runners to gain some experience without high expectations or pressure," said head coach Kevin Robinson. "But now, it's time to step up and face the pressure, and we'll do that at Alabama Friday. This is a big race that is highly, highly competitive.

"This is a true cross country course. The course has hills, winds and turns, and that makes it a great cross country site. It's a well-kept, well-manicured course, but still offers a challenging run. That's why we compete in this race every season."

For the Tigers men's squad, Friday's Crimson Classic is its first race since it won the Austin Peay Invitational Sept. 24. The first-place finish was the men's second of the season, as it also won the Sept. 17 Rhodes College Invitational. Junior college transfer Julian Sanchez-Pinto and sophomore Matthew Viveiros paced the squad with top-three performances in both races. Sanchez-Pinto won the Austin Peay Invitational individual title, and for that performance, he earned the Sept. 26 American Athletic Conference Male Runner of the Week honor.

The women's team, ranked No. 9 in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Region poll, is back on the course after running in the prestigious Gold Race at the Oct. 1 Greater Louisville Classic. The Tigers placed 14^th overall, and senior Martina Rodriguez Sala was runner-up in a personal-best 5k time of 16:50.30. Chelsea Ladd (17:34.30) and Bailey Kennemer (18:08.00) also ran personal-best times at the Greater Louisville Classic.

"Alabama will be a little different from what we faced at Louisville," said Robinson. "The field of teams won't be as huge, but it will be competitive. This race will show us where we stand against some of the nation's best programs."

Friday's Crimson Classic also serves as the teams' final preparation for the Oct. 29 American Athletic Conference Championships in Cincinnati, Ohio.

"We're not looking past Friday, and we're going in with the mindset to put our best out on the course and see where we end up," Robinson said. "But, this also is the last opportunity for our runners to qualify to compete at the conference championships.

"Because our squad size is small, our men's team is set for the league meet. On the women's side, we have some still fighting to earn spots. The women's team is hungry and motivated to perform. It creates a competitive training atmosphere."