LEXINGTON, Ky. ? The Kentucky cross country teams travel west on Interstate 64 to Louisville Saturday to run in the Greater Louisville Classic. The meet is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. ET for the men?s 8-kilometer run followed by the women?s 5K race at 10:15 a.m. at the Derby City?s E.P. ?Tom? Sawyer Park; admission is free.
The Cats earned another conference honor last week when junior Jessica Ortman, was named the Southeastern Conference Cross Country Female Athlete of the Week. Ortman?s 5K time of 17:38 at the Old Timers Classic led a field of 100 runners at Western Kentucky?s Kereiakes Park in Bowling Green, Ky. Ortman?s performance helped UK remain undefeated and outpace the second-place team by 47 points.
Entering this week?s event both UK teams are ranked in the USTFCCCA Southeast Region poll. The Kentucky men entered at the No. 15 slot for their initial ranking this year after taking second at Western Kentucky?s Old Timers Classic. The Wildcat women moved up one spot to No. 6 this week after winning their second straight meet of the season.
The UK women hope to improve on last year?s fifth-place showing in Louisville when they were led by Andrea Halasek?s 5K time of 18:25. The Cats placed four runners in the top 40 in the event a year ago, won by Georgia Tech.
The Greater Louisville Classic women?s field consists of 29 teams with eight in regional rankings, led by the Cats. Joining the Kentucky ladies in the Southeast Region are host Louisville at No. 11 and neighboring Eastern Kentucky in the No. 14 slot. SEC foe Vanderbilt leads four teams ranked from the South Region at No. 6 followed by Georgia Tech (No. 7), Tennessee-Chattanooga (No. 9) and Georgia State (No.14). Bowling Green rounds out the teams ranked on the women?s side at No. 15 in the Great Lakes Region.
On the men?s side, Kentucky finished sixth in the 2006 Greater Louisville Classic. Andre? Silva paced the Cats with a time of 24:57 in the 8K race won by host Louisville. Kentucky placed three runners in the top 50 a year ago.
For the first time this season, the UK men will face a nationally ranked team in an event. Host Louisville occupies the No. 15 spot in the latest USTFCCCA national poll. The strong men?s field includes 11 teams ranked regionally. In addition to the rival Cards and Cats, Eastern Kentucky (No. 8) and Wake Forest (No. 10) rank in the Southeast Region. Two SEC squads are among the six teams ranked in the South Region, Tennessee at No. 6 and Vanderbilt at No. 12. Georgia State (No. 9), Georgia Tech (No. 11), East Tennessee State (No. 13) and Tennessee-Chattanooga (No. 14) also represent the South. Dayton is the lone ranked team at the event from the Great Lakes Region at No. 10.
Final results and a complete release on Saturday?s meet will be available at ukathletics.com.
