LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Riding the momentum of five personal bests at the Chile Pepper Festival, Little Rock cross country heads to Alabama this week to compete in the prestigious Crimson Classic, hosted by the University of Alabama on Friday.
The Trojans return to action after a short break, having had less than two weeks to prepare since competing at the Chile Pepper Festival on Oct. 4. The Crimson Classic serves as Little Rock's final tune-up before the Ohio Valley Conference Championships on Oct. 31.
Recognized as one of the South's premier meets, the Crimson Classic consistently attracts elite competition, including programs such as Alabama, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Clemson and Tennessee. The men will race an 8K, while the women will run a 6K.
Little Rock will face some of the nation's top runners, providing valuable experience as the team prepares for the championship stretch of the season.
The course, built on a former golf course converted for cross country use in 2003, features rolling hills and flat stretches — a layout similar to the Chile Pepper course that could play to the Trojans' advantage.
The Trojans return four runners who competed at last year's meet. Junior
Shane Fisher is the top men's returner, finishing last year's 8K in 25:57.7, while sophomore
Aaliyah Joshua led the women with a 21:08.1. Joshua was also Little Rock's top women's finisher at the 2023 meet.
Fisher and graduate student
Jordan Smith have already improved their 8K times from a season ago and will look to lower their personal bests even further. The women, competing in their first 6K of the season, will aim to use the race as preparation for the upcoming conference meet.
Sophomore
Zac Rutherford and freshmen
Connor King and Katie de Gorostiza will not travel with the team as they continue training for the conference championships.
Head coach Jordyn Nalon said the meet will serve as an important test for the men's middle group as the team prepares for conference, while the women aim to build on their fitness and improve their times heading into the postseason.
"The men will be focusing on the second half of our group," Nalon said. "We'll have our top-end guys help pace Devin and Owen in this 8K since they really went after it at Chile Pepper. It's easier to work with your teammates than run alone, so we want to close the gap between our third and fourth or fifth runners."
Nalon added that she's eager to see how the women respond after two focused weeks of training and mindset work.
"I'm looking for the women to really get after it in this race," she said. "We made progress at Chile Pepper, but we're still not where our fitness levels can be. This will be a big challenge for them, but I'm excited to see how they perform after working on our mindset, training in the afternoon heat, and building confidence over the past two weeks."
The Trojans depart Thursday and will race Friday morning in Tuscaloosa. The men's 8K begins at 8:30 a.m. CT, followed by the women's 6K at 9:20 a.m. CT. The Harry Pritchett Running Park is located on the east side of Tuscaloosa off Veterans Memorial Parkway.
Live results are available at
PT Timing.
For the latest information on Little Rock Cross Country/Track and Field, check out LRTrojans.com. You can also follow the team on social media at @LittleRockTFXC on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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