Saturday, October 30
Nashville, Tenn.
9 a.m.
UT Martin
at
OVC Championship
UT MARTIN TO COMPETE AT OVC CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP ON SATURDAY
10/28/2021 12:59:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
MARTIN, Tenn. – The 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Cross Country Championship will be run on Saturday, Oct. 30 at the Vaughn's Creek Cross Country Course at Percy Warner Park in Nashville, Tennessee. The men's 8k race will begin at 9 a.m. with the women's 5k following at 10 a.m.
Tennessee State is serving as the host for the first time since 2009. The event was last held in Nashville in 2016 when Belmont hosted. Last year the event was postponed until the spring and contested the first weekend of March after a limited schedule.
This will be the 61st OVC men's championship, as the first one was held in 1962. UT Martin, under the direction of third-year head coach Kevin Mangan, has finished in the top half at the OVC Championship in each of the past five seasons – including a fourth place finish to tie the program's best men's result last season.
Senior Luke McNair has been the team's top performer all season, setting new PRs nearly every time out. He began the season with an individual victory while leading the Skyhawks to a home triumph at the Soybean Invitational before ultimately posting his best 8k PR at the Louisville Classic a month later with a time of 24:42.7 to sit amongst the program's top-10 times.
Joining McNair consistently amongst the top three scorers has been the tandem of sophomore George Payne and freshman Will Cahill. Both athletes set their PRs this season with Payne's coming at the Louisville Classic with a time of 25:08.9 while Cahill crossed at 25:16.7 at the Bradley Pink Classic two weeks ago. Senior Will Oglesby has raced strong this season as he aims to claim the fourth scoring spot hot off a PR of 25.26.8 at the Bradley Pink Classic, leaving the fifth scoring position to either Alex Schell, Cole Davis, Hudson Hall, Sam Shuman or Victor Kemboi.
The women's championship will be determined for the 43rd time this year. A young women's squad will be anchored by sophomore Erica Fisher who has led the Skyhawks pack for much of her career. She posted her best 5k time of the season at the Louisville Classic with a time of 19:05.1. Newcomer Lilia Alvarez has also become a consistent contributor for the Skyhawks as she looks to build off her recent 6k PR at the Bradley Pink Classic while posting a season-best 5k time of 18:54.8 at the Louisville Classic.
The freshman pair of Lydia Tankersley and Victoria Holliday have consistently ranked amongst the team's scoring group this season. Both freshmen are coming off back-to-back PRs at the Louisville Classic and Bradley Pink Classic while the pair of Blayne Lachance and Annie Amundsen will fight to round out the scoring-five on Saturday.
The meet is free and open to the public. The course is located at 7311 Highway 100 Nashville, TN 37221.
The OVC Athletes and Freshmen of the Year, which are determined by coaches' vote, will be announced on Friday night. The Coach of the Year, Athletes of the Championship and All-OVC honors will be presented following Saturday's Championship.
Tennessee State is serving as the host for the first time since 2009. The event was last held in Nashville in 2016 when Belmont hosted. Last year the event was postponed until the spring and contested the first weekend of March after a limited schedule.
This will be the 61st OVC men's championship, as the first one was held in 1962. UT Martin, under the direction of third-year head coach Kevin Mangan, has finished in the top half at the OVC Championship in each of the past five seasons – including a fourth place finish to tie the program's best men's result last season.
Senior Luke McNair has been the team's top performer all season, setting new PRs nearly every time out. He began the season with an individual victory while leading the Skyhawks to a home triumph at the Soybean Invitational before ultimately posting his best 8k PR at the Louisville Classic a month later with a time of 24:42.7 to sit amongst the program's top-10 times.
Joining McNair consistently amongst the top three scorers has been the tandem of sophomore George Payne and freshman Will Cahill. Both athletes set their PRs this season with Payne's coming at the Louisville Classic with a time of 25:08.9 while Cahill crossed at 25:16.7 at the Bradley Pink Classic two weeks ago. Senior Will Oglesby has raced strong this season as he aims to claim the fourth scoring spot hot off a PR of 25.26.8 at the Bradley Pink Classic, leaving the fifth scoring position to either Alex Schell, Cole Davis, Hudson Hall, Sam Shuman or Victor Kemboi.
The women's championship will be determined for the 43rd time this year. A young women's squad will be anchored by sophomore Erica Fisher who has led the Skyhawks pack for much of her career. She posted her best 5k time of the season at the Louisville Classic with a time of 19:05.1. Newcomer Lilia Alvarez has also become a consistent contributor for the Skyhawks as she looks to build off her recent 6k PR at the Bradley Pink Classic while posting a season-best 5k time of 18:54.8 at the Louisville Classic.
The freshman pair of Lydia Tankersley and Victoria Holliday have consistently ranked amongst the team's scoring group this season. Both freshmen are coming off back-to-back PRs at the Louisville Classic and Bradley Pink Classic while the pair of Blayne Lachance and Annie Amundsen will fight to round out the scoring-five on Saturday.
The meet is free and open to the public. The course is located at 7311 Highway 100 Nashville, TN 37221.
The OVC Athletes and Freshmen of the Year, which are determined by coaches' vote, will be announced on Friday night. The Coach of the Year, Athletes of the Championship and All-OVC honors will be presented following Saturday's Championship.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
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