University of Tennessee Athletics
XC CENTRAL: Greater Louisville Classic
October 03, 2014 | Track & Field
Tennessee: 8-6 (0-1 SEC)
Last Time Out: After spending the last three weeks away from competition, the UT men's cross country team opens the month of October at the Great Louisville Classic in Louisville, Ky. It is the second consecutive race in the state of Kentucky for the Volunteers as it last competed at the Bluegrass Invitational in Lexington. As a group the UT men finished in seventh in that race. Senior Austin Whitelaw paced Tennessee with a time of 25:51.39 in the 8K -- good for 20th place on the individual chart.
Sullivan's Spotlight: "The men's team has some good moxie going right now," said director of track and field/cross country Beth Alford-Sullivan. "But Austin Whitelaw is running extremely well and he's stepped up his game to a new level in practices. I'd also like to point out the work that J.R. Creekmore and Jack Little have put in. These three guys are putting in some heavy work and I think they'll get some good results this month."
About This Event: Saturday marks the 13th annual running of the Greater Louisville Classic. UT also competed in last year's event, finishing fourth. Austin Whitelaw had the best time of any of this season's returners, finishing the 8K race in 25:17.40. A total of 125 colleges and universities will compete across three separate races at E.P. `Tom' Sawyer State Park. The site has hosted several major cross country events, including the NCAA and NAIA Cross Country Championships, the 2007 and 2011 BIG EAST Conference Championships, and five NCAA Division I Regional Championships from 2006-11. The Tennessee men will be competing in the 8K gold race that begins at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Other Teams Competing: Tennessee is part of a field of 29 teams at the Greater Louisville Classic. View the complete list here.
Tennessee: 9-7 (0-1 SEC)
Last Time Out: Three weeks ago at the Bluegrass Invitational, the Tennessee women's team finished in sixth place. Heading that effort was the second consecutive runner-up finish of the year for junior Chelsea Blaase who led UT with a 5K time of 16:44.40. She finished behind only Katie Borchers, Ohio State's senior All-American. That effort -- which was at that point the fastest 5K time recorded in the SEC -- earned Blaase her first career SEC Women's Runner of the Month award.
Sullivan's Spotlight: " Chelsea Blaase is really rolling along," said director of track and field/cross country Beth Alford-Sullivan. "I'm very excited to see what she can get from these three races in October. I'm expecting her performance this month to be pretty outstanding and exciting. Alexis Panisse is stepping up as well and she's looking pretty sharp and excited to race on Saturday."
About This Event: Saturday marks the 13th annual running of the Greater Louisville Classic. The UT women also competed in last year's edition, finishing sixth. Alexis Panisse posted the top time for Tennessee a year ago, running the 5K in 17:23.50. A total of 125 colleges and universities will compete across three separate races at E.P. `Tom' Sawyer State Park. The site has hosted several major cross country events, including the NCAA and NAIA Cross Country Championships, the 2007 and 2011 BIG EAST Conference Championships, and five NCAA Division I Regional Championships from 2006-11. The Tennessee women will be competing in the 5k gold race at 10:15 a.m. ET, shortly after the conclusion of the first men's race.
Other Teams Competing: Tennessee is part of a field of 35 teams at the Greater Louisville Classic. View the complete list here.
Coach Sullivan on the Louisville Classic: "We're in a good spot right now. Because we've had three weeks without competition, we're hungry again and excited to race. The month of October is really the heart of the cross country season and so the energy is really nice and fired. I think we'll see some great, competitive efforts this weekend. We're in shape and we've had a great training cycle and carried some high miles again last week to close the month. So we'll freshen up by Saturday and hopefully run very, very well."
Players Mentioned
