University of Tennessee Athletics
XC Teams Head To Nashville For Commodore Classic
September 16, 2015 | Track & Field
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee cross country teams return to action on Saturday with Vanderbilt's Commodore Classic at Vaughn's Gap Course at Percy Warner Park in Nashville.
The men's 8K begins at 9 a.m. CT and the women's 5K starts at 10 a.m. CT.
The men's race features 21 schools, including Alabama State, Clemson, Davidson, Evansville, Georgia Tech, Lipscomb, Louisville, Middle Tennessee, Marshall, Memphis, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Murray State, Ohio State, Samford, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee, Tennessee Tech, Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky.
The women's race features 23 schools, including Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Belmont, Clemson, Davidson, Evansville, Georgia Tech, Lipscomb, Louisville, Middle Tennessee, Marshall, Memphis, Michigan, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Murray State, Ohio State, Southeast Missouri, Samford, Tennessee, Tennessee Tech, UAB and Vanderbilt.
The Tennessee men will officially start their 2015 season on Saturday as their 6K race at the Hokie Invite on Sept. 4 in Blacksburg, Va., was halted at the 3K mark due to lightning. Tennessee Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Beth Alford-Sullivan said that she expects most if not all of the men's runners, including veteran leaders Kyle Walter and Jack Little, to compete on Saturday.
"They're fired up. We're excited," Sullivan said. "It's a little bit of feeling really good about what we did do at Virginia Tech, but then a little bit of unknown of how we finish the race as well as how we finish the extra distance. So it will be exciting to see how they do."
The UT women look to build off of a 50-point, second-place team finish at the Hokie Invite. Freshman Jessica Rizor led the group with an 11th place finish in a time of 14:30.90 (7 points) and fellow freshman Abby McCulla was right behind her, taking 12th with a time of 14:31.61 (8 points).
"They felt really good about it and they raced very well," Sullivan said. "It was a good mix of different young people taking the lead. We had Peighton Meske in the lead for a while. Then we had Abby McCulla in the lead and we ended up with Jessica Rizor being our No. 1 athlete. They really worked well together and off of each other."
Saturday's race will also be a homecoming of sorts for Nashville native McCulla and Hendersonville's Jessica Rizor and Julia Rizor.
"A lot of these young ladies are from the Nashville area, so they have raced in this park before and are excited about being in that environment and close to home and being able to wear the orange for the first time in front of their families," Sullivan said. "They're running a 5K, which is a traditional high school distance and, with so many freshmen, that will be a comfort level for them to race in."
Sullivan and the Tennessee coaches will decide on race day if All-American Chelsea Blaase will make her 2015 debut at the Commodore Classic.
"We have not decided yet if we will race Chelsea or not, but clearly if we put her in the lineup that helps us a lot," she said.
