University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Tennessee Dual vs. Louisville
Tennessee Cross Country Opens 2017 With Dual vs. Louisville
August 31, 2017 | Track & Field
The UT men and women will take on Louisville on Saturday for a dual meet at the Cherokee Farm Cross Country Course
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee men's and women's cross country teams will open the 2017 season on Saturday when the UT hosts Louisville for a dual race at Cherokee Farm Cross Country Course.
Tennessee-Louisville Dual
RACE DAY INFO
- Date: Sept. 2, 2017
- Location: Cherokee Farm Cross Country Course
- Opponent: Louisville Cardinals
- Men's 4-mile Race: 9 a.m. ET
- Women's 5K Race: 9:45 a.m. ET
- Course Map: Cherokee Farm Cross Country Course
RELATED LINKS
2016 Tennessee Men's Stats 2016 Tennessee Women's StatsThe four-mile men's race will begin at 9 a.m. ET. The 5K women's race will begin at 9:45 a.m. ET.
Cherokee Farm Cross Country Course is at the Cherokee Farm exit off of Alcoa Highway. Alcoa Highway is exit 386B on I-40.
Tennessee director of track and field/cross country Beth Alford-Sullivan has been pleased with the Vols' progress this summer.
"We're excited," Alford-Sullivan said. "We had a great preseason. We went up to Gatlinburg and the Smokey Mountains and had a great preseason training camp. Now school is starting up and training is going well. We've got a very big and young group of athletes, but we have a seasoned core that is back for both the men's and women's teams. The leadership has been outstanding and the enthusiasm is at an all-time high. We really feel that this season will be a much-improved season."
Tennessee's cross country men will have a 18-runner squad this season that features 11 returners, including junior Zach Long, who posted three top-15 finishes in 2016 and is coming off of a 2017 outdoor season in which he earned All-SEC and All-American honors in the 5,000 meters.
The UT women will have an 18-member squad in 2017 and return seven veterans from the 2016 team, including sophomore Megan Murray, who had a pair of top-25 finishes in 2016, placed fifth at the 2017 USATF Cross Country National Championship and competed for the U.S. team at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
"For the Tennessee dual against Louisville, we're excited to take on the Cardinals here at home," Alford-Sullivan said. "We've got a great course over at Cherokee Farm. It will be short-course running. The women will only race 5K and the men will only race four miles. Early-season, short-course racing will give these guys a chance to kind of test the waters and see what they have got for the start of this cross country season. We hope to get a hometown crowd out there."
The 12 Tennessee men officially entered in Saturday's four-mile race are senior Nick Brey, sophomore Gashaw Duhamel, freshman John Elrod, freshman Conner Hawkins, junior Andre Hillsman, freshman Adam Johnston, junior Drew Kelley, sophomore Jose Parilla, sophomore Trey Quealy, junior Wesley Robinson, sophomore Brad Swiney and junior Tyler Woodrome.
The nine Tennessee women officially entered to run in Saturday's 5K are junior Cassidy Giles, freshman Taylor Luthringer, senior Maddison Melchionna, junior Peighton Meske, sophomore Megan Murray, junior Emma Reed, freshman Alaina Riordan, junior Jessica Rizor and freshman Abigail Smith.
Tennessee will face a tough test against a Louisville women's team that is ranked 28th in the USTFCCCA NCAA Division I Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll, marking its highest ranking in school history. The Louisville women return six from a 2016 team that wsa the runner-up in the NCAA Southeast Regional.
Driving Directions To Cherokee Farm Cross Country Course
Address
2450 EJ Chapman Dr. #216
Knoxville, TN 37996
From McGhee Tyson Airport: Take 129 North (Alcoa Hwy.) toward Knoxville. Take the Cherokee Farm Way exit. Turn left onto Cherokee Farm Way. Keep right to stay on Cherokee Farm Way which will circle underneath Alcoa Highway. Turn left onto Accelerator Way to find parking.
From I-40 east (from Nashville) and I-75 north (from Chattanooga): Follow I-40 and I-75 to I-40/I-75 junction in west Knoxville. Continue on I-40 east to U.S. Highway 129 south. Take the Cherokee Farm Way exit. Turn right onto Cherokee Farm. Turn left onto Accelerator Way to find parking.
From I-40 west (from Asheville, N.C.): Follow I-40 west to U.S. Highway 129 south. Take the Cherokee Farm Way exit. Turn right onto Cherokee Farm. Turn left onto Accelerator Way to find parking.
From I-75 south (from Lexington, Ky.): Follow I-75 south to I-275 south just past Merchants Road. Follow I-275 to I-40 east. Continue on I-40 east to U.S. Highway 129 south. Take the Cherokee Farm Way exit. Turn right onto Cherokee Farm. Turn left onto Accelerator Way to find parking.
Players Mentioned
