Kentucky Cross Country Prepares for Southern Showcase
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Cross Country teams will travel south for their first large invitational meet of the season, toeing the line at the Southern Showcase on Friday, September 13. Hosted by Jacksonville State at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Ala., the meet will feature a Men’s 8k race at 10 a.m. ET and a Women’s 5k race at 11 a.m. ET.
12 men and 15 women are slated to race in their respective events for the Wildcats, with the top five finishers for each squad counting towards the team total.
The men’s lineup consists of Alex Alston, Theo Bachmann, Cade Byer, Sami Hattab, Max Liao, Collins Kiprop Kipngok, Caden Miracle, Liam Naughton, Jack Pendergast, William Russell, Jackson Watts, and Caden Weber. Liao, Kipngok, Naughton, and Weber are all slated to make their collegiate debuts, while Pendergast and Russell—a pair of transfers from Iowa and Xavier, respectively—will race in the Blue and White for the first time.
For the women, Jayla Atkinson, Noel Barlette, Morgan Dick, Ainsley Edwards, Aubree Hay, Elly Heine, Ava Hendren, Clara Heppner, Ally Kruger, Phoebe McCowan, Chesney McPherson, Lyric Olson, Mollie Roden, Jenna Schwinghammer, Julz Williams, and Baylor Wolfe will make up the Kentucky lineup. Heppner is the lone transfer on the women’s side, coming in from Florida State, while Atkinson, Barlette, Dick, Hendren, McPherson, and Wolfe are all freshmen.
The field in Rocket City will be made up of 52 men’s teams and 55 women’s teams spanning across all three NCAA divisions, as well as the NAIA and NJCAA. Alabama comes in as the only ranked Division I team in either field, sitting at No. 9 in the USTFCCCA Men’s preseason poll and No. 12 in the USTFCCCA Women’s preseason poll. Four other SEC programs – Auburn, Georgia, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt—will also be in attendance, as well as Georgia Tech and Louisville from the ACC.
In 2023, both Kentucky squads recorded their best team finishes of the season at the Southern Showcase, with the men’s team finishing in fourth and the women finishing in a tie for fourth. Jake Allen and Ally Kruger each recorded top ten finishes a season ago, with Kruger looking to defend her sixth-place finish this Friday.
In the SEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the men’s squad was predicted to finish 10th in the conference and the women were slotted at No. 13. In the USTFCCCA Southeast Regional Rankings, the Kentucky men were also ranked No. 10, while the Wildcat women featured at No. 13.
Following the trip to Huntsville, the Cats will return to the course in a fortnight, racing at the Gans Creek Classic. The meet, hosted by Missouri, will be held on September 27 and will be run at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course, site of the 2025 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
Fans can follow along with the Southern Showcase via a live stream on YouTube, as well as with live results.
