XC Central: Crimson Classic
October 13, 2016 | Track & Field
The Tennessee men and women’s cross-country teams return to action this Friday in the Crimson Classic at Harry Pritchett Running Park in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The men will compete in the 8K race, which is set to begin at 9 a.m. CT/ 10 a.m. ET. The women will take part in the 6k race scheduled to start at 9:45 a.m. CT/ 10:45 a.m. ET.
“We are looking forward to the Crimson Classic at Alabama. We will be traveling with nine members of the men’s team and the women’s squad, who are all excited to get out and compete,” Tennessee Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Beth Alford Sullivan said. “We look forward to competing with different SEC schools and seeing how we fair during the second half of October.”
Both the men and women’s team will be competing against 32 other squads. The men’s team, ranked seventh in the USTFCCCA’s South Region, will square off against three of the top five teams in the South Region; Ole Miss (No. 1), Florida State (No. 3) and Alabama (No.5). The same three opponents are also ranked in the region’s top five on the women’s side.
The men’s and women’s team will be competing for the first time since the Greater Louisville Classic on Oct. 1 where the men’s squad took 16th place in the 8K gold race, and the women’s team finished 26th in the 5K gold race.
Sophomore Zach Long took 61st place with a time of 25:04.29 to lead the men’s team. Sophomore Wesley Robinson recorded a time of 25:25.55 to finish 90th overall with sophomore Dartanian Oakley and freshman Gashaw Duhamel not far behind with times of 25:31.58 and 25:31.64, respectively. The Crimson Classic will be newcomer Nick Brey’s second race after debuting in Louisville with a mark of 25:33.19.
Freshman Megan Murray fronted the Vols’ effort at the Greater Louisville Classic as she made her collegiate debut with a 79th place finish in 17:58.40. Peighton Meske crossed the line in 18:17.40 to finish 128th overall.
This will be the Vols first time back at the Crimson Classic since 2014, where Chelsea Blaase finished in first place on the women’s side and Austin Whitelaw took sixth for the UT men. Blaase followed that by taking third at the SEC Championship that year, which was also held at Harry Pritchett Running Park in Tuscaloosa. Tennessee does not return a runner who competed at the course two years ago as the men’s and women’s rosters feature 17 freshman and sophomores.
Fans can stay up to date with Volunteer Cross Country on Twitter and Instagram on @Vol_Track.
