Ruby DraayerThe Ole Miss men’s and women’s cross country team will travel to Birmingham, Ala., this weekend for the UAB Blazer Classic after the men’s team dominated at Louisville’s Classic earning first place. The women’s team earned runner up over seven teams.
The UAB Blazer Classic will be an interregional competition with teams from the SEC, the ACC and other top cross country programs. This competition will mark the last race before the SEC Championships on Oct. 30 in Baton Rouge, La.
“(This is a) really good opportunity for our teams to line up one final time during the regular season prior to SEC (competitions) and give us a chance to fine-tune our racing skills just a little bit. (This will give) some more experience for our younger athletes who are still learning the ropes for college cross country,” head coach Ryan Vanhoy said in a press conference on Monday.
Last race, senior Walleed Suliman led the men’s team with his second top-five finish. The win at Live in Lou earned him the SEC runner of the week award.
“Any time you have someone that’s recognized with conference honors I want to make sure to shout that person out,” Vanhoy said. “Obviously, Waleed has been a star for us for four seasons now, and heading into his senior year, he’s done a great job. He’s working really hard and has big goals for SECs and beyond.”
For the women, there were nine runners who hit personal records at this meet, including senior Anna Elkin in fifth place with a time of 17:00.4 and sophomore Sylar Boogerd earning eighth place with a time of 17:09.0. However, the team fell short to Notre Dame, taking the second seat.
The Rebels will take on around 10-15 teams this weekend as they travel to Birmingham, Ala., for the UAB Blazer Classic on Oct. 16.
