Cross Country Preview: Rhodes College Invitational

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. –The University of Memphis returns to action Saturday to run in the 29^th-annual Rhodes College Invitational, which is held at Shelby Farms in east Memphis.

This is the 10^th-straight year the Tigers are taking part in the event, but Saturday's race takes on a "two-fold" significance. First, Memphis hits the midway point of its regular season with the Rhodes College Invitational and has only two remaining races before the conference championships.

Second, Saturday's event is a preview of the 2019 American Athletic Conference Championships, which Memphis hosts Nov. 1 at Shelby Farms. So, the Tigers get a competitive run on the Shelby Farms track that also serves as The American's course.

Rhodes College Invitational Schedule

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

Competing teams:Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Arkansas-Monticello, Arkansas State, Berry College,Centre College, Christian Brothers University, Cincinnati, Concordia (Texas), East Texas Baptist University, Emory University, Hendrix College, Memphis, Millsaps College, Mississippi College, Mississippi University for Women, Oglethorpe University,University of the Ozarks,Rhodes College, Southeastern Oklahoma State, Tulsa, Union University

Head coach Kevin Robinson comments
(On last time out at North Alabama)
"I'm pretty pleased with the start to this season. We came away with two runner-up finishes in our last races. Considering we didn't run a full squad on either side, I felt those were pretty solid performances. We have several runners gain valuable experience there."

(On this weekend's Rhodes College Invitational; test run for league championships in November)
"I'm looking forward to this weekend. It will be the first time we put the full men's team together, and we're excited about that. The women will run the full squad as we did at the (season-opening) Twilight Classic. We're excited about this opportunity, and not just because it's in our backyard and a placed we're familiar with, but it's also the host site for this year's conference championships. It gives us a competitive opportunity on the championship course. We train on the course quite a bit, but there's a difference between training and competing. The opportunity to race the championship course early in the season is huge.

"It's stifling heat we're dealing with. There's no escaping it. It's hot, it's brutal. We invited all the conference schools to this race to test the course. Hopefully, they come down and make it a much better race for all of us."

Tigers Tidbits

Saturday's race is the second of three for the Tigers in the Memphis area in 2019. After Saturday, Memphis hosts the 2019 American Athletic Conference Championships at Shelby Farms Nov. 1. Memphis ran in the City Auto Twilight Classic, which was held at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex in Collierville Aug. 31.
Memphis will see a couple of familiar faces at Saturday's Rhodes College Invitational, as fellow American Athletic Conference members Cincinnati and Tulsa are competing.
The Tigers women's team is running its first 6k race of the season on Saturday. The women's first two races were 5k events. The men's squad is competing in its second-straight 8k race at the Rhodes College Invitational.
The start times for Saturday's races were moved up 30 minutes, with the men kicking off the event at 8 a.m. (CT) and the women to follow at 8:45 a.m. (CT).
The Memphis men's squad plans to run its full team for the first time this season. In each of the first two races, runners were held out for rest and recovery. The Tigers women will run their full squad for the second time this season (also ran full team at Twilight Classic).

Memphis at Rhodes College Invitational/Last Seven Team Finishes

Year	Women's Finish	Men's Finish
2018	3^rd	1^st
2017	2^nd	2^nd
2016	1^st	1^st
2015	1^st	3^rd
2014	1^st	2^nd
2013	3^rd	1^st
2012	1^st	1^st

Memphis at the Rhodes College Invitational/Individual Champions

Women	Men
Arnica Zitting, 2017	Matthew Viveiros, 2018
Martina Rodriguez Sala, 2015, 2016	James Maglasang, 2010, 2011, 2012
Louisa Lingley, 2012
Emily Malinowski, 2007

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Players Mentioned

Martina Rodriguez Sala

Matthew Viveiros

Arnica Zitting

University of Memphis Athletics