Cross Country Preview: Greater Louisville Classic

Saturday, October 5

Louisville, Ky.

8 am CT

University of Memphis

Greater Louisville Classic (M: 8k/W: 5k)

Photo by: Matthew Smith

Oct 04, 2019 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Tigers heading down home stretch of regular season.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – If the Tigers cross country team's last time out was a preview of the American Athletic Conference Championships, then what the University of Memphis sees Saturday could be a promo of what it will face in the NCAA regional postseason in November.

The Tigers travel to Louisville, Ky., to run in the 18^th-annual Greater Louisville Classic Saturday. The races are held at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park in Louisville. Memphis competes in the event for a fourth-consecutive year.

The Greater Louisville Classic attracts some of the nation's top programs to compete year after year. In Saturday's men's race, Memphis runs against nationally-ranked Middle Tennessee and regionally-ranked foes in Campbell, Davidson, East Tennessee State, Lipscomb and Samford. The women's race features nationally-ranked Cincinnati and Xavier and regionally-ranked teams in Chattanooga, Kentucky, Louisville, Lipscomb, Middle Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

The Tigers men's and women's squads both were selected to compete in the college Gold Races, the toughest sections of the event. The men's Gold Race kicks off the event at 8:30 a.m. (CT), followed by the women's Gold Race at 9:15 a.m. (CT).

In its last race two weeks ago, Memphis ran in the Rhodes College Invitational at Shelby Farms in East Memphis. The race was a test run of the course that also hosts the 2019 American Athletic Conference Championships Nov. 1.

Greater Louisville Classic Schedule

Race	Time (CT)
Men's College/GOLD Race (8k)	8:30 am
Women's College/GOLD Race (5k)	9:15 am

Men's Competing Teams (GOLD Race):Appalachian State, Bellarmine, Bowling Green, Campbell, Charleston Southern, Chattanooga, Davidson, DePaul, East Tennessee State, Eastern Illinois, Ferris State, Florida Gulf Coast, Goshen, Indiana Wesleyan, Kentucky, Lipscomb, Louisville, Marquette, Marshall, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State, Montreat, Morehead State, Northwood (Mich.), Ohio, Roberts Wesleyan, Samford, Shawnee State, Southwest Baptist, St. Bonaventure, Stetson, Trinity, UNC Asheville, UNC Greensboro, Vanderbilt, Wayne State (Mich.), West Florida, West Texas A&M, Xavier

Women's Competing Teams (GOLD Race):Appalachian State, Ball State, Bowling Green, Campbell, Charleston Southern, Chattanooga, Cincinnati, Cornerstone, Davidson, DePaul, Eastern Illinois, Ferris State, Indiana Wesleyan, Indianapolis, Johns Hopkins, Kennesaw State, Kentucky, Kentucky Christian, Lipscomb, Louisville, Madonna, Marquette, Marshall, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State, Murray State, Ohio, Roberts Wesleyan, Samford, SCAD Atlanta, Shawnee State, Southwest Baptist, St. Ambrose, St. Bonaventure, UNC Asheville, UNC Greensboro, Vanderbilt, Wayne State (Mich.), Xavier

Head coach Kevin Robinson comments
(On the last time out at the Rhodes College Invitational)
"That race served multiple purposes for us. Since we're hosting the championship on that course, it gave us a test run for the race in November. Everybody seemed to like the course. It's challenging, but not overwhelming. It's very defined and not confusing.

"Tulsa came in and did what they do. They are one of the top cross country programs in the country. They ran well in both races. Our men stepped up and placed second, and the women did pretty well. They finished four or five points out of second. I was pleased with the performance overall. I think we can do better, and we have room to grow. We're in a good place right now."

(On Saturday's Greater Louisville Classic)
"This event draws a lot of great programs from across the country. What's great about this course is that it's pretty flat, it's pretty fast so it's not debilitating for the runners. There are not a lot of hills at all. This is a great opportunity. We'll have plenty of people to chase, and hopefully they'll be plenty chasing us.

"Our men and women got accepted into the Gold Race, which is the most competitive of the college races Saturday. We are fortunate to be in the Gold Race and have the opportunity to race against some good schools. Hopefully, our runners will put up some personal-bests and gain some momentum.

"We're in a pretty good place. Obviously, coaches are never satisfied. We have good groups, and there is a lot of competition within those groups. Since we have depth and competition, there are no guaranteed spots now. That changes the practice dynamic. We're relatively healthy. We're hungry, we're motivated. Another positive is we're young. I'm excited for the present, and even more excited for the future."

Tigers Tidbits

The men's team is running in its third-straight Greater Louisville Classic and the second year the Tigers are competing in the Gold Race. In 2017, the Tigers competed in the Blue Race and last year in the Gold Race.
The Tigers women, as a team, are running for the third time in four seasons in the event. Memphis women competed in the Gold Race in 2016 and Blue Race in 2017. Last year, Paige Sandwell ran as an individual in the Blue Race.
Paige Sandwell and Gabrielle Byndas are the only two women's runners that have competed in the Greater Louisville Classic.
Five Tigers men's runners return to race in the Greater Louisville Classic Saturday. Christian Corsello, Payton Gleason, Brendan Hill, Avery Wood and Zachary Wyatt all ran in the 2018 event.
In 2017, the Memphis men's team won the Blue Race title, and Julian Sanchez-Pinto took the Blue Race individual crown.
In 2016, Martina Rodriguez Sala was second in the women's Gold Race. The following year in 2017, Arnica Zitting was second in the Blue Race.