TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Little Rock cross country teams battled through a strong field and warm morning conditions as they wrapped up the regular season at the Crimson Classic. Graduate student
Jordan Smith led the Trojan men, while sophomore
Aaliyah Joshua was the top finisher for the women.
The men opened the meet at 8:30 a.m., racing an 8.057K course—slightly longer than the traditional 8K. More than 150 runners competed, representing programs including Central Arkansas, Clemson and Alabama.
Head coach
Jordyn Naylon said she wanted the men to focus on running together and using the race as a final tune-up before the conference championships—and they delivered.
"Really happy with how the men ran today," Naylon said. "It was a long course, but they ran about the same or faster for their 8K than at Chile Pepper. Despite not being 100 percent and coming off a long run workout this past Sunday, they did really well. That's really exciting to see going into two more weeks of training."
Smith continued his breakout season, setting his third straight personal record with a time of 25:03.4, taking more than a minute off his previous best. Freshman
Zach Morin impressed once again, finishing close behind at 25:10.4, just seven seconds back. Junior
Shane Fisher earned his fourth consecutive PR of the season—marking a personal best in every race—finishing in 25:34.9, about 20 seconds faster than last year's time. Juniors Deven Stevens and
Owen Church also turned in solid performances in their first Crimson Classic appearances.
The women's race followed at 9:20 a.m. over a 5.868K course, slightly longer than a traditional 5K. Joshua paced the Trojans with a personal-best time of 21:43.7. Freshman
Eva Tice and sophomore Kamyrn Baggs continued their season-long trend of finishing close together, with Tice clocking 22:44.1 and Baggs following in 22:50.4. Junior
Kennedie Rhein and freshman
Maddie Cottier rounded out the lineup for the Trojans, competing well in a field of more than 150 runners.
Naylon praised the team's competitiveness but emphasized the need for continued progress among the women's group.
"Our top-end women ran a solid race despite the extra kilometer, so it was nice to see them out there pushing," Naylon said. "The two ladies rounding out the group are fitter than they've shown in races and need to step up their efforts. If their teammates can show up, then they can as well. Overall, it was a good experience for the men and our top three women heading into the conference meet."
Joshua, who competed at the Crimson Classic for the second time in her Trojan career, said the longer distance helped her prepare for the championship meet ahead.
"It felt really good to challenge myself on a course like Alabama," Joshua said. "Going into it, I knew I'd have to really work at different points to get where I wanted to be with such a competitive field. This race was a great opportunity to see what my strengths are and where I need to put in a little extra work to keep getting better."
Little Rock now has two weeks to prepare for the Ohio Valley Conference Championship on Oct. 31 in Charleston, Illinois, where the Trojans will look to continue their streak of personal-best performances.
Full Results for the Crimson Classic are below:
Little Rock Women
Name Time
Little Rock Men
Name Time
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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