LOUISVILLE, Ky. (September 29, 2023) – The University of North Alabama cross country teams will join over 100 schools in Louisville, Ky. this weekend for its largest meet to date — the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic — set for Saturday, Sept. 30 at Tom Sawyer Park.
 
There are 133 schools entered into the meet from across the country, including some of UNA's conference and regional competitors. The men's 8K race will begin at 9:30 a.m. and the women's 5K will follow at 11:30 a.m.
 
"It is going to be another great weekend for our team to compete in a bigger race with nationally ranked teams," said UNA head coach Evans Kiptoo. "This will be the biggest test for both of our teams and a good way to see how we stack up against other teams."
 
The meet will be hosted by Louisville. Among the list of schools entered are conference foes Austin Peay, Bellarmine, EKU and Queens, as well as in-state competitors Jacksonville State, UAB and Samford. Another team of note is UT Southern, who will host UNA's final regular season meet at McFarland Park in Florence on Oct. 20.
 
The men's team enters the race ranked No. 15 in the U.S Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Region poll. The Lions entered as the preseason No. 14 ranked team and have held the No. 15 spot for each of the first two weeks.
 
Eight men and eight women will represent the Lions on Saturday, including the last two race leaders for North Alabama in graduate student Brandon Lee and junior Gracie Mathews. Mathews was the ASUN Runner of the Week earlier this month and has paced the Lions in all three races this season, including a win at the UNA Invitational and a PR the following week at the Southern Showcase.
 
The women's lineup includes four juniors, three seniors and true freshman Savannah Williams. Joining Mathews and Williams are seniors Sage Betts, Emily Daniel and Valerie Grosso and juniors Ashlyn Anderson, Janeth Jepkirui and Laura Mobley.
 
On the men's side, Lee has traded the team lead with fellow graduate Fedrick Kipyego a couple of times this season. Kipyego finished second at the UNA Invitational earlier this month en route to ASUN Runner of the Week honors, while Lee finished right behind him in third.
 
Joining Lee and Kipyego in the lineup this weekend are juniors Connor Jackson, Adam Nipper, Mason Schrader and Noah Bonsall, sophomore Jackson Hamlin and true freshman Brent Lyons. Lyons was named ASUN Freshman Runner of the Week following a scoring performance at the UNA Invitational earlier this month.
 
For live results, click here.
 
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