FLORENCE, Ala. (September 8, 2023) – The University of North Alabama cross country program will run in front of the hometown crowd this weekend, as the Lions host the fifth annual UNA Cross Country Invitational at McFarland Park on Saturday morning. 
 
The women's race will begin at 7:45 a.m. followed by the men's race at 8:45 a.m. The races will be contested on the old golf course at McFarland, which is now used as a disc golf course. The women will run a 5K course, while the men will run an 8K course.

"I'm very excited about our home meet on Saturday," said UNA's first year head coach Evans Kiptoo. "We are going to use it as preparation for the Southern Showcase next week. The goal for this race is to run together as a team until the last stages of the race."
 
North Alabama will host six other schools on Saturday, including former Gulf South Conference rivals West Florida and Delta State and neighboring community college Northwest Shoals. Other schools competing include Calhoun Community College, Lane College and Talladega College.
 
In last year's UNA XC Invitational women's race, then-sophomore Beth Ann Tucker was the individual medalist with a time of 18:16.51. Tucker opened the 2023 season last week in Memphis with a top 50 time of 19:35.48 in a field of 181 runners.
 
Tucker was joined by four teammates for an all-UNA top five in last year's UNA Invitational. All five of those runners are back in 2023 as upperclassmen — Janeth Jepkirui, Gracie Mathews, Emily Daniel and Ashlyn Anderson. Mathews was the leader of the pack last week in Memphis with a time of 19:11.61 to finish 21st.
 
In the men's race last season, former UNA runner Evan Allen took the top spot with a time of 24:19.55. Both of UNA's leading returners rounded out the top five last season, with Fedrick Kipyego placing fourth at 24:50.28 and Brandon Lee in fifth at 25:22.96. Both runners made their 2023 debut in Memphis last week as graduate students, guiding UNA to a sixth-place finish in a field of 19 teams.
 
Both the UNA men's and women's teams will look for back-to-back victories at the meet, sweeping the titles in 2022.
 
After this weekend, the Lions head to John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Ala. for the Southern Showcase hosted by Jacksonville State. The meet takes place next Friday, Sept. 15.
 
For more information on the UNA Invitational, click here.
 
For more information on North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow UNA Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.