Nearly 300 runners from 12 different schools across the Midwest will take to the University of Evansville Cross Country Course on Saturday to take part in the ninth-annual UE Cross Country Invitational. The meet will begin at 11:00 a.m. central time with the women’s 5-K race, while the men’s 8-K race will follow.
The UE Invitational will bring together 8 Division I universities and four non-Division I team in a final meet for many before their conference championships. For UE, it will be the Purple Ace’s final meet before the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championships in Wichita, Kansas on October 30.
UE has been off from competition since October 2, when the men placed 13th and the women were 4th at the Greater Louisville Classic in Louisville, Kentucky. The Purple Aces men will once again turn to Evansville native Ryan Witters to set the pace, as Witters has done so in each of UE’s races this fall.
On the women’s side, sophomore Lauren Zeabart from nearby Fort Branch, Indiana has also set the pace in every meet this year, with freshman Kelby Jenkins not far behind.
“Saturday’s meet is very important to us,” said UE head coach Don Walters. “It is really our final tune up before the conference championships, and Saturday’s results will help determine which eight men and women will represent the team at the conference meet. The conditions are great for both teams to run well and and I’m sure they will perform to expectations.”
UE will be joined on the course this Saturday by the following teams:
Division I Teams
IUPUI (M)
Lipscomb (M/W)
Marshall (M/W)
Morehead State (M/W)
Murray State (M/W)
Tennessee-Martin (M/W)
Tennessee Tech (M/W)
UE (M/W)
Valparaiso
Non-Division I Teams
Greenville (M/W)
Marian (M/W)
St. Louis College of Pharmacy (M/W)
Vincennes (M/W)
The UE Cross Country Course is located at 20404 Barton Road in Evansville. Admission is free for all fans that would like to come out and support on Saturday.
