Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Saturday, September 29
Louisville, KY / Tom Sawyer State Park
Men's - 9:30am Women's - 10:15am
Middle Tennessee
vs
Greater Louisville Classic
Cross Country to Race Strong Field in Louisville
9/28/2018 10:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country and Track & Field, Women's Cross Country and Track & Field, Track & Field/Cross Country
The Middle Tennessee Cross Country teams will get the chance to compete with some of the nation's best this weekend as they travel to Kentucky for the Greater Louisville Classic. This course was home to last year's national championship and regularly attracts top competition. Follow @MT_TrackField for updates.
Race Details
Greater Louisville Classic (Hosted by the Louisville Sports Commission)
E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park, Louisville, KY
September 29, 2018
Course Preview
Men's Video Walkthrough (FloTrack)
Women's Video Walkthrough (FloTrack)
Sawyer State Park is one of the premier venues in Cross Country. This course hosted last year's National Championship (that the Blue Raiders competed in) along with other NCAA Regionals and conference championships. The women's 5K is two of the same loop with a 1K finish in the middle of the park. The men's 8K includes first two loops of the women's course, but loops the finish twice. The surface is almost all grass, but there are some segments that are on dirt. The most prominent feature of the course is the long straightaways and tight turns. With a course like this, runners looking to pass need to make calculated moves and be ready for an all-out sprint down the finish straight.
Historically Speaking
The Blue Raider men placed sixth at last season's Greater Louisville Classic with 203 points. 2017 National champion Northern Arizona took first place as part of a strong field. Jacob Choge turned in a personal best 23:36.53 and finished sixth overall. Julia Jelagat led the MT women last season with a 66th place finish and a time of 17:41.37.
The Opposition
Belmont – The men's team finished in third place in the Commodore Classic with the shortest 1-5 split of any team in the race. There were only 49.8 seconds between the Bruins' first and fifth finishers. The women also competed in the Commodore classic, but the Blue Raiders edged out the Bruins by 10 points.
Mississippi State – The Bulldog women are coming off a win in the Montevallo Falcon Classic and were ranked 5th in the most recent USTFCCCA South region poll. In the classic, Mississippi State finished three runners in the top 10 and 5 in the top 15 to win with just 41 points.
Rice – The Blue Raiders will get their first look at C-USA foe Rice, who will be racing in their second event of the season. The Owls looked impressive in the Rice Invitational, with the men and women finishing first and second respectively. The men, currently ranked fourth in the south central region, scored 42 points in the four mile race back at the beginning of the month. The women finished 14 point shy of Texas in the 4K race.
Last Time Out
The Men's team finished three athletes with Murfreesboro native Nathan Mack setting his personal best time for the course at Warner park of 27:04.1. Meanwhile, the women's squad saw the Kosgei sisters lead the team to a 10th place finish in a competitive field with Pamela as the first freshman across the line in fifth place.
Read the full recap of the Commodore Classic Here
The Outlook
"This will be the first meet running our A team," said Head Coach Keith Vroman. "We've got everyone ready to compete now and we're excited to see how our practice will translate into our racing. We've traditionally used Louisville as a checkpoint to see where we are as a team and what tweaks and adjustments we need to make as we head down the stretch in October."
Social Media
Keep up with the Blue Raiders in Louisville by following @MT_TrackField on Twitter and Instagram and like Blue Raider Cross Country/Track & Field on Facebook.
Race Details
Greater Louisville Classic (Hosted by the Louisville Sports Commission)
E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park, Louisville, KY
September 29, 2018
- Men's start (8K): 9:30 a.m.
- Women's start (5K): 10:15 a.m.
Course Preview
Men's Video Walkthrough (FloTrack)
Women's Video Walkthrough (FloTrack)
Sawyer State Park is one of the premier venues in Cross Country. This course hosted last year's National Championship (that the Blue Raiders competed in) along with other NCAA Regionals and conference championships. The women's 5K is two of the same loop with a 1K finish in the middle of the park. The men's 8K includes first two loops of the women's course, but loops the finish twice. The surface is almost all grass, but there are some segments that are on dirt. The most prominent feature of the course is the long straightaways and tight turns. With a course like this, runners looking to pass need to make calculated moves and be ready for an all-out sprint down the finish straight.
Historically Speaking
The Blue Raider men placed sixth at last season's Greater Louisville Classic with 203 points. 2017 National champion Northern Arizona took first place as part of a strong field. Jacob Choge turned in a personal best 23:36.53 and finished sixth overall. Julia Jelagat led the MT women last season with a 66th place finish and a time of 17:41.37.
The Opposition
Belmont – The men's team finished in third place in the Commodore Classic with the shortest 1-5 split of any team in the race. There were only 49.8 seconds between the Bruins' first and fifth finishers. The women also competed in the Commodore classic, but the Blue Raiders edged out the Bruins by 10 points.
Mississippi State – The Bulldog women are coming off a win in the Montevallo Falcon Classic and were ranked 5th in the most recent USTFCCCA South region poll. In the classic, Mississippi State finished three runners in the top 10 and 5 in the top 15 to win with just 41 points.
Rice – The Blue Raiders will get their first look at C-USA foe Rice, who will be racing in their second event of the season. The Owls looked impressive in the Rice Invitational, with the men and women finishing first and second respectively. The men, currently ranked fourth in the south central region, scored 42 points in the four mile race back at the beginning of the month. The women finished 14 point shy of Texas in the 4K race.
Last Time Out
The Men's team finished three athletes with Murfreesboro native Nathan Mack setting his personal best time for the course at Warner park of 27:04.1. Meanwhile, the women's squad saw the Kosgei sisters lead the team to a 10th place finish in a competitive field with Pamela as the first freshman across the line in fifth place.
Read the full recap of the Commodore Classic Here
The Outlook
"This will be the first meet running our A team," said Head Coach Keith Vroman. "We've got everyone ready to compete now and we're excited to see how our practice will translate into our racing. We've traditionally used Louisville as a checkpoint to see where we are as a team and what tweaks and adjustments we need to make as we head down the stretch in October."
Social Media
Keep up with the Blue Raiders in Louisville by following @MT_TrackField on Twitter and Instagram and like Blue Raider Cross Country/Track & Field on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
XC/Distance
/ Men's Cross Country and Track & Field
XC/Distance
/ Women's Cross Country and Track & Field
Mid-Distance
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