AUBURN, Ala. - Auburn cross country is back in action this week as it heads to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to compete in the Crimson Classic on Friday, Oct. 17.
The Tigers will run at the Harry Pritchett Running Park, with the men running the 8k at 8:30 a.m. CT, followed by the women’s 6k at 9:20 a.m. CT.
"We’re excited to race,” Kindt said. “On the men’s side, we’re going to see a handful of regional teams that we’re going to revisit in the next two weeks. The women’s field is a little more stacked. We’re interested to see where we stack up after this long stretch of training.”
The men will have six athletes lined up against Clemson, Samford, South Florida, Troy and the host, No. 8 Alabama. The men enter the meet ranked seventh in the South Region in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) rankings.
A total of nine women will compete in Orange and Blue, facing off against 22 other squads, including No. 13 Alabama, Georgia Tech, South Carolina, UAB and Vanderbilt.
Coming off their last meet in Huntsville, Alabama, last month, where the men finished fourth with 149 points and the women claimed seventh, coming in at 248 points, the squads look to improve with one last race before the looming postseason.
Sophomore Nickson Chebii was the Tigers’ first finisher for the second week in a row. Competing in the 8k, he finished seventh in a field of 443, with a time of 23:30.23.
Sophomore Max Hardin and junior Evan Hill also put together strong races for the Orange and Blue, with the former running 24:00.15 and the latter crossing the line in 24:19.25.
Chebii, Hardin, and Hill will be joined by seniors Rex Green and Joseph Perry, sophomore Joshua Kosgei and freshman Bryce McCleary
On the women’s side, senior Gené Coetzee led the women’s team, making her season debut, placing 23rd overall in the women’s 5k against a stacked field (17:15.64). The next finisher was junior Cady McPhail, who delivered her second-place performance as one of the two top finishers for the women.
Sophomore Camila Gomes will compete for the first time for Auburn this cross country season. Kindt is looking to Coetzee and Gomes to bring their experience and leadership.
“We’re going to throw Camila back in for her opener,” Kindt said. “She’s looked really strong these past weeks. I would say this is the best she’s looked going into a cross country season. I think she’s feeling confident that she knows what to expect.”
Joining Coetzee, Gomes and McPhail will be junior Audrey Dunn, sophomores Mary Katherine Malone and Alexandra Walsh, freshmen Ava Fields, Kennedy Hamilton and Olivia Stedl.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how both groups respond after this long stretch of training,” Kindt said. “We’re feeling good. I’m excited to get out there this Friday and let them rip.”
Live results can be found at pttiming.com.
Up Next
Auburn cross country will travel to Knoxville, Tennessee, to compete at the SEC Cross Country Championships on Friday, October 31, at the Cherokee Farm Cross Country Course.