Cross Country Preview: UAB Blazer Classic

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis cross country teams travel to Birmingham, Ala., Friday for their final regular-season race at UAB's 2019 Blazer Classic Friday. The event is the last tune-up for the Tigers as they prepare for the American Athletic Conference Championships Nov. 1.

Friday's Blazer Classic is actually held in Montevallo, Ala., a suburb of Birmingham. The site of the race is the University of Montevallo Cross Country Course, which hosted the 2016 NCAA Division II Southeast Region Championships for men and women.

Blazer Classic Schedule

Race	Time (CT)
Women's College (6k)	9 am
Men's College (8k)	9:45 am

Women's Teams (30): Alabama, Belmont, Birmingham-Southern, Charlotte, Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic, Florida State, Fort Valley State, Huntingdon, Jefferson State CC, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Marion Military Institute, Memphis, Mercer, Mississippi State, Mississippi University for Women, Mississippi Valley State, Montevallo, Nicholls State, North Alabama, Northern Colorado, Point University, Samford, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Spartanburg Methodist, Troy, Tuskegee, UAB

Men's Teams (29): Alabama, Belmont, Birmingham-Southern, Charlotte, Florence State, Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic, Fort Valley State, Huntingdon, Jefferson State CC, Kennesaw State, Lawson State, Lipscomb, Marion Military Institute, Memphis, Mercer, Miles, Mississippi State, Mississippi Valley State, Montevallo, Nicholls State, North Alabama, Point University, Samford, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Spartanburg Methodist, Troy, Tuskegee

Head coach Kevin Robinson comments
(On Friday's Blazer Classic)
"It's our last regular-season race, so I expect we'll be ready to put down some good times and perform well. It's our final tune-up before the (conference) championships. It's an incredibly important day for us. We're in a pretty good place. We've been racing well, training well the last couple of weeks."

(On keeping focus on this race)
"Even though this is the last regular-season race, keep that (conference championships) out of your minds for now. Do what you can do today. Be the best athlete today and compete well, and then we'll move forward. We're trying to keep them focused on the here and now and not looking too far into the future."

Tigers Tidbits

This is the second-straight year the Tigers are running in the Blazer Classic. It's also the second-straight year the Classic serves as the final race prior to the American Athletic Conference Championships.
This is the second time this season Memphis is running a race in the state of Alabama. The Tigers competed in the North Alabama Invitational Sept. 7 and posted second-place finishes in the men's 8k and women's 5k races. It is the first time since 2015 Memphis competes in two events in the state of Alabama. That season, the Tigers raced in the Crimson Classic and NCAA South Region Championships, both hosted by Alabama.
This is the fifth-straight year Memphis runs a race in the state of Alabama. The Tigers raced in Alabama's Crimson Classic from 2015-17, the North Alabama Invitational in 2019 and UAB's Blazer Classic from 2018-19.
The Tigers men's squad enters Friday's race ranked No. 13 in the U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches (USTFCCCA) South Regional. Friday is Memphis' first race as a ranked team this season.
The race is the final regular-season race for the careers of seniors Gabrielle Byndas and Paige Sandwell.
In the 2018 Blazer Classic, Paige Sandwell (25^th) and Gabrielle Byndas (58^th) were the first Tigers to cross the finish line in the women's 6k race. On the men's side, Zachary Wyatt (24^th), Payton Gleason (25^th), Tate Wyatt (32^nd) and Christian Corsello (47^th) all had top-50 performances in last year's Blazer Classic.
Memphis enters Friday's Blazer Classic with some momentum after its last outing at the Oct. 5 Greater Louisville Classic. The men's (8^th) and women's (10^th) squads recorded top-10 team finishes in the ultra-competitive Gold Races. The performers from both teams combined to post 15 personal-best times.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Christian Corsello

Payton Gleason

Paige Sandwell

Tate Wyatt

Zachary Wyatt

University of Memphis Athletics