MEMPHIS, Tenn. (9/25/15) – Its been three weeks since the Arkansas State University cross country squads last competed, but the harriers return to competition Saturday at the 25th-annual Rhodes College Invitational.
Shelby Farms is the host site for Saturday's Rhodes College Invitational. The men's 8k race begins at 8:30 a.m., with the women's 6k to follow at 9:40 a.m.
The Rhodes College Invitational presents a challenging course and several teams across several divisions will compete.
“There will be 26 teams competing from several divisions with a little more than half a dozen Division I teams,” said A-State cross country coach Kyle Chandler. “The course has several hills and uneven footing in many places so it is not a fast course, but a challenging course.”
The Red Wolves women's squad posted a fifth place performance in the first competition of the year. Abbey Dixon was the top finisher in Memphis with a time of 17:54.72 for an 11th place finish in the 5,000-meter run. Dixon has finished in the top-10 in her two previous appearances at the Rhodes College Invitational.
“The women have built up their weekly volume the last three weeks and are looking forward to seeing how their aerobic improvement plays out at Rhodes,” Chandler said. “They plan to work with one another during the race, and if successful, should be in a position for a high team finish.”
The A-State men's team is coming off a sixth place finish at the Brooks Memphis Twilight Classic on Sept. 5. Wil Norris was the top performer for A-State, finishing in eighth place with a four-mile time of 20:24.17. Norris finished 13th at the Rhodes College Invitational in 2013 with a time of 26:43.00.
“After three weeks off from racing, the men's team is excited to get another race under their belts,” Chandler said. “There are several training groups within the team and it should be interesting to see who steps up to earn spots on the upcoming travel squads. The competition within the team should help the men be quite competitive this weekend.”
Results will be posted on AStateRedWolves.com following the competition.
