LEXINGTON, Ky. ? The Kentucky cross country teams travel to Bowling Green, Ky. Saturday to take part in the Old Timers Classic hosted by Western Kentucky. The meet is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. ET for the women?s 5K run followed by the men?s 5-mile race at 11:45 a.m. at the WKU Kereiakes Park.
Both UK teams received recognition since competing in the Eastern Kentucky Invitational two weeks ago. On the women?s side, the Wildcats are ranked seventh in the NCAA Southeast region in the initial poll of the season. For the men, junior Bruce Hordusky (Erie, Pa.), was named the Southeastern Conference Cross Country Athlete of the Week. Hordusky?s combined 4-mile time of (19:17) on the EKU Woodchip Trail earned him the honor, shattering his mark at last year?s event by over 25 seconds.
This week?s event will feature a rematch with Eastern Kentucky who hosted the Cats on Aug. 31. In the previous meeting, the Kentucky men were led by Hordusky who finished first on the team and third overall. A trio of seniors finished behind him in the standings: Andre Silva (No. 5), John Thompson (No. 6) and Chris Long (No. 8). The UK women raced to impressive times in their first meet of the season with junior Jessica Ortman placing first on the team and second overall. Senior Lavera Morris finished one-half second behind Ortman to place third. The top five Wildcats on the women?s side finished in the first seven runners to cross the finish line.
The UK women won last year?s Old Timers Classic with four women placing in the top 10. Returning junior Taylor Miller (Owensboro, Ky.) led the team and placed second overall while classmate Andrea Halasek (Georgetown, Ky.) finished third on the team and sixth overall. The Kentucky men placed second at the meet last season led by senior Andr? Silva (Centereach, N.Y.) who finished fifth overall.
The Wildcat women are the highest ranked team in the regional rankings running in the meet this weekend. Fellow teams ranked regionally include the Eastern Kentucky men (No. 10 Southeast region) and the Arkansas State women (No.15 South Central region). Other schools participating include Memphis, Middle Tennessee State and host Western Kentucky.
Final results and a complete release on Saturday?s meet will be available at ukathletics.com.
